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1 

2 

3 

1 


32  X 


ikf^ 


THE 


HISTORY 


5  7'r  :> 


OF 


ANCIENT    VINLAND 


BY 


THORMOD  TORFASON. 


Translated  from  the  Latin  of   1705   by 
Prof.  Charles  G.  Herbekmawn.  PH  D.,  LL.  D., 


With  an  Introduction  by  John  Gilmary  Shk/ 


Nkw  Yok K.- 
John G.  Shea, 
1891. 


69608 


"^(^/^F/^Sc/'^  77 


J 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  work  of  Torfaeus,  a  learned  Icelander,  which  is 
here  presented  was  the  first  book  in  which  the  story  of  the 
discovery  of  Vinland  by  the  Northmen  was  made  known 
to  general   readers.      After  the  appearance  of  his  work,  the 
subject  slumbered,  until  Rafn  in  this  century  attempted  to 
fix  the  position  of  the  Vinland  of  Northern  accounts.     Since 
that  time  scholars  have  been  divided.      Our  leading  his- 
torians, George  Bancroft,  Hildreth,  Winsor,  Elliott,  Palfrey 
regard  voyag-s  by  the  Norsemen  southward  from  Greenland 
as  highly  probable,  but  treat  the  sagas  as  of  no  historical 
value,  and  the  attempt  to  trace  the  route  of  the  voyages 
and  fix  the  localities  of  places  mentioned,  as  idle,  with  such 
vague    indications   as   these  early   accounts,  committed    to 
writing  long  after  the  events  described,  can  possibly  afford 
loulmin  Smith,  Beamish,  Reeves  and  others  accepted  the 
Norseman  story  as  authentic,  and  Dr.  B.  F.  De  Costa   Hors- 
ford   and    Baxter  are   now  the    prominent    advocates   and 
adherents  of  belief  in  the  general  accuracy  of  the  Vinland 
narratives. 

As  early  as  1073  Adam  of  Bremen  spoke  of  Vinland  a 
country  where  grape  vines  grew  wild,  and  in  167 1  Montanus, 
followed  in  1702  by  Campanius,  the  chronicler  of  >Tew  Swe- 
den, alluded  to  its  discovery.  Peringskjold  in  1697  published 
some  of  the  sagas  and  thus  brought  the  question  more  defin- 
itiveb^  before  scholars  ;  but  Torfaeus,  a  man  well  versed  in 
the  history  of  his  native  island,  in  the  book  here  given  col- 
lected from  the  priestly  and  monastic  writings  all  that  was 
accessible  in  his  day.  Produced  now  in  English,  h.s  History 
of  Vinland  w.  1  add  to  the  literature  of  the  subject,  and  with 
the  volume  of  Dr.  De  Costa  give  the  student  alm;st  all  the 


IV 


INTRODUCTION. 


! 


material  for  examination.  Torfaeus  first  proposed  the  state- 
ment of  the  length  of  the  day  as  a  means  of  fixing  the  position 
of  Vinland  which  he  believed  to  be  near  Newfoundland. 

Dr.  Winsor  says :  "  Of  the  interpreters  of  this  ancient 
lore  Torfaeus  has  been  long  looked  upon  as  a  characteristic 
exemplar." 

Some  of  the  earlier  advocates  of  the  Vinland  story 
found  corroborative  evidence  in  the  stone  mill  at  Newport, 
the  inscriptions  on  Dighton  rock,  and  the  bronze  or  copper 
found  with  a  fair  haired  skeleton.  These  have  been  wisely 
abandoned  as  utterly  untrustworthy. 

The  narratives  are  vague,  and  it  has  been  made  an  ob- 
jection that  the  only  natives  described  are  evidently  men  of 
of  Esquimaux  race,  not  our  Indians.  This  is  really  an 
evidence  in  favor  of  the  accounts.  The  country  of  Vinland 
was  known  and  referred  to  before  the  days  of  Columbus. 
If  the  narratives  had  been  invented  after  the  exploration  of 
our  coast,  and  with  knowledge  of  its  actual  inhabitants  the 
writers  would  have  placed  Algonquins  there,  not  Esquimaux. 

We  know  too  little  of  the  movement  of  the  great  Ameri- 
can nations  to  be  able  to  write  the  whole  story,  but  we  know 
some  facts.  The  early  settlers  in  Greenland  found  no 
Skraelings,  oi  Esquimaux  there  and  they  did  not  appear 
till  near  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  century.  They  were 
evidently  forced  northward.  Jacques  Cartier  found  at  Gasp^ 
and  in  possession  of  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  tribes  of 
the  Huron  Iroquois  family.  All  the  vocabulary  and  words- 
given  by  him  are  of  their  language.  He  gives  no  Algonquin 
or  Esquimaux  terms.  Yet  when  Champlain  settled  Quebec 
less  than  a  century  afterwards  these  Huron  Iroquois  had 
fallen  back  up  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Lake  Ontario  and  were 
in  possession  of  the  territory  south  and  west  of  the  lake. 
The  whole  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Atlantic 
Coast  to  Chesapeake  Bay  were  held  by  Algonquin  tribes. 
These  at  the  north  warred  with  a  tribe  to  whom  they  gave 
the  name  of  Esquimaux  or  Raw  Meat  Eaters.  The  Esqui- 
maux held  their  own  in  Labrador  in  i6i2(Biard,  "Relation  de 
la  Nouvelle  France,")  and  in  1659  were  still  at  war  with  the 


sed  the  state- 
f  the  position 
foundland. 
this  ancient 
:haracteristic 

inland  story 
at  Newport, 

ze  or  copper 
been  wisely 

made  an  ob- 
ently  men  of 
is  really  an 
y  of  Vinland 
f  Columbus, 
xploration  of 
labitants  the 
Esquimaux, 
jreat  Ameri- 
but  we  know 
d  found  no 
not  appear 
They  were 
ind  at  Gaspe 
nee  tribes  of 
y  and  words- 
o  Algonquin 
tied  Quebec 
'roquois  had 
io  and  were 
of  the  lake. 
:he  Atlantic 
iquin  tribes, 
n  they  gave 
The  Esqui- 
'Relation  de 
vsx  with  the 


INTRODUCTION.  v 

Micmacs  of  tiaspe,  (Relation,  1659).  That  they  occupied  the 
coast  lower  down  before  they  were  forced  northward  into 
Greenland,  would  seem  therefore  most  probable.  Yet  if 
these  accounts  of  voyages  to  Vinland  were  invented  or  built 
up  on  a  few  vague  indications,  the  inventors  could  not  have 
been  such  philosophic  ethnologists  as  to  place  Esquimaux  in 
New  England.  The  accessible  material  at  their  hands  would 
have  led  them  to  place  Algonquins  on  the  coast. 

Rude  implements  found  in  the  interglacial  Jersey  drift 
have  been  held  by  C.  C.  Abbot  to  have  been  associated  with 
a  people  of  the  Esquimaux  stock,  so  that  Esquimaux  may 
have  occupied  the  coast  below  Sandy  Hook. 

Christian  Irish  had  preceded  the  Northmen  to  the  Faroe 
Islands,  as  Dicuil,  an  Irish  monk,  makes  clear,  and  to  Iceland- 
but  the  Scandinavians  who  settled  Iceland  and  Greenland' 
who  made  voyages  thence  southward  were  just  emenrine 
from  heathenism  into  the  light  of  Christianity.  Catholic 
bishops  and  priests,  the  mass  and  prayers  are  mentioned  in 
the  narratives,  and  one  of  the  heroines  makes  a  pil^rima^e 
to  Rome.  * 

This  fixes  to  a  certain  extent  the  time  of  the  alleged 
voyages,  for  the  time  of  the  introduction  of  Christianity 
into  Iceland  and  Greenland  is  fairly  well  authenticated. 

JOHN  GILMARY  SHEA. 


r~- 


TRANSLATORS   PREFACE. 


Thormod  Torfason,  or  as  he  latinized  his  name,  Thor- 
modus  Torfaeus,  the  author  of  our  History  of  Vinland,  was 
born  on  the  island  of  Engoe  on  the  north  coast  of  Iceland,  in 
1640.     At  this  time  Iceland  formed  a  part  of  the  kingdom  of 
Denmark.    Accordingly  Torfason  went  to  Copenhagen  for  his 
education.     There  the  young  man's  brilliant  abilities  soon 
found  recognition.     He  was  hardly  twenty  years  of  age  when 
the  Danish  King,  Frederick  III,  who  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  early  history  of  the  Northmen,  appointed  him  hiterjyre.'^ 
rejfim  for  northern  antiquities.     Two  years  later  (1662)  he 
was  sent  to  Iceland,  partly  to  perfect  his  knowledge  of  the 
ancient  language  of  his  native   land,  partly  to  gather  Ice- 
landish   manuscripts  for  the   royal  library  at   Copenhagen. 
With  the  aid  of  Bishop  Brynjolf  Sveinsson,  whom  Torfaeus 
himself  calls  the  most  learned  of  all  the  bishops  of  Skalholt 
up  to  his  time,  he  carried  out  his  commission  successfully; 
as  a  reward  he  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  bailiwick  of 
Stavanger  in  the  south  of  Norway  (1664).       But  Torfaeus 
was  not  destined  to  bury  his  talents  in  the  administration  of 
a  small  Norwegian  country  place.     He  remained  there  only 
three  years ;  then  he  was  recalled  to  Copenhagen  and  ap- 
pointed Curator  of  the  Royal  Cabinet  of  Antiquities.     While 
holding   this   position  he  again   visited  Iceland  and   subse- 
quently made  a  voyage   to  Holland.      During   this   voyage 
he  proved  that  he  had  not  only  the  love  of  learning  of  his 
Icelandish  forefathers,  but  also  the  violent  spirit  of  the  old 
Vikings.      Atta-ked  by  a  man  Torfaeus  struck  him  down 
and  killed  him.     He  was  tried  and  condemned  to  death.    His 
distinction  as  a  scholar  however,  led  the  King  to  pardon  him 
though  he  was  obliged   to  pay  a  heavy  fine   and   lost  his 
place  as  the  head  of  the  royal  Cabinet  (1673.     He  went  to 


I 


PREFACE.  VII 

Norway  and  became  more  absorbed  than  ever  before  in  the 
study  of  the  Eddas,  of  the  Sagas  and  of  Northern  Antiquities 
m  jfeneral.  On  the  death  of  Frederick  III,  his  successor, 
Christian  V,  named  Torfaeus  Royal  Historiographer  of  Nor- 
way and  made  him  a  member  of  the  commission  on  edu- 
cation. The  fruits  of  his  studies  now  appeared  in  rapid 
succession.      His  History  of  the  Faroe  Islands  appeared  in 

llf.ln^f",  ^""^l"""^^  ^'^97)  by  the  History  of  the  Orkneys, 

and  the  Table  of  the  Chiefs  and  Kings  of  Denmark  (,702) 

In   .705  was  published  the   History  of  Vinland,  which  now 

tor   he  first  time  appears  in  an  English  dress.     The  History 

of  Ancient  Greenland  (.706)  and   the   IVffolluo.  UiMorhuL 

h!7         /x?  '"^  '*""  publication  of  his  principal  work,  the 

th    rT  f  ,^"'"^^>'  '"  ^""'-  '^'•g^  volumes  (,71,).     This  was 

the  last  of  his  works  that  appeared  during  his  lifetime      But 

so  great  was  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  Northern 

scholars,  that  many  years  after  his  death,  in  ,777,  his  unpub- 

shed  miscellaneous  papers  were  printed   by  his  admiring 

countrymen.     Torfaeus  died  in  17,9.  ^ 

v^h/r  J"''^''*^""'  ^"'•'^^  were  written  in  Latin.  Hence 
while  John  Penngskjold  was  perhaps  the  first  to  revive  the 
memory  of  the  Norse  discovery  of  America  in  his  Swed  sh 

"vof '^nirnVS^  "^^"^t""^^^'  ^'^97)  yet  Torfasonrnt 
ory  of  Vmland  first  made  known  the  claims  of  the  Northmen 

tlllfusTh^-  "'' f""  ''k'  '°'^  "^  ^'^  ■  ■  -^'  -  ^^  h^-self 
tells  us  in  his  preface,  is  based  on  two  o.i  Icelandish  manu- 

scnpts,  the  celebrated  Flatey  Book,  known  as  No  70^0 
of  the  Old  Royal  Collection  in  Copenhagen,  and  on  a  paper 
manuscript.  No.  678  in  the  same  collection.  On  the  former 
are  based  Chapters  I  to  VIII,  of  the  History  of  V^land  o„ 
the  latter  Chapters  IX  to  XIV.  The  Flatey  Book,  so  called 
because  it  was  long  preserved  on  the  island  of  Flatey  near 
Iceland  is  a  remarkable  work.  It  is  in  the  main  a  history 
of  the  Kmgs  of  Norway,  written  on  vellum,  and  fills  Z 
dosely  packed  pages  of  print  at  thirty-nine  lines  pe    page 

InirtS  ^  T'^^'T"  ^"'  ^^^"«  ThorhaLon'  II 
dertook  this  encyc  opaedic  work  for  an  Icelander  named 
John  Haconson.     Like  most  medi.^val  records,  therefore    he 


Vill 


I'RICFACie. 


story  c,f  the  finding'  of  Vinland  by  the  Northmen  has  boon 
preserved  for  us  by  Catholic  priests.     The  Fhitev  Hook  was 
probably  written  at  Widedals-tiui^'a.  near  the  monastery  of 
Thm^a'yrar,  whence  the  auth«,rs  probably  drew  many  of  the 
manuscripts  from   which   the  material    for   their  work    was 
drawn.      The  learned  Norse  scholar  Gudbrand  Vi^fussen   in 
the  preface  to  his  edition  of  the  Orkneyin^a  Sa^ra  (Vol.  l'  ,, 
XX\ )  has  proved  by  an  ingenious  course  of  reasoning  that 
the  manuscript  was  fini.shed  in    1387,  about   three    hundred 
and  seventy-five  years  after  the  discoverv  of  Vinland      The 
version  of  this  discovery,  found  in  the  Flatey  Book,  usually 
called  the  Saga  of  Eric  the  Red,  was.  however,  taken  from 
older  manuscripts,  so  that  we  cannot  say,  when  it  was  first 
written  down  from  tradition. 

The  second  accbunt  of  the  discovery  of  Vinland,  taken 
by  forfaeus  from  N.  768,  O.  R.  C.  of  Copenhagen,  is  usually 
entitled  the  Saga  of  Thorfinn  Karlsefne.     Torfason's  manu- 
script IS  much  younger  than   the  Flatey  Book.      But  since 
his  death  another  parchment  manuscript  was  found  in  the 
Arne-Magnaean  Collection  of  Copenhagen,  being  No  544  of 
that  collection,  which  seems  to  be  the  original  of  Torfaeus' 
paper  manuscript.      This  old  parchment  proved  to  be  even 
older  than  the  Flatey  Book,  being  ascribed  by  palaeographers 
to  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  or  the  beginning  of  the  four- 
teenth century.     Accordingly,  if  age  is  to  decide,  this  version 
should  be  even  more  authoritative  than  the  Flatey  Book 

Torfaeus-  narrative  is  based  upon  the  manuscripts  he 
had  before  him.  Indeed,  it  may  be  said  without  exaggera- 
tion, that  whole  pages  of  his  History  are  fairly  literal  trans- 
lations of  the  Flatey  Book,  or  of  the  karlsefne  Saga  He 
makes  no  attempt  to  reconcile  nor  to  explain  the  discrep- 
ancies  of  the  two  versions  of  his  story,  though  the  difference^ 
are  neither  slight  nor  unimportant.  To  him  the  account  of 
the  discovery  of  Vinland,  and  found  in  the  Saga  of  Eric  the 
Red,  seemed  preferable  to  that  of  the  Karlsefne  Saga  be- 
cause it  is  simpler  and  more  probable.  Perhaps  his  judg- 
ment may  have  been  influenced  by  his  own  connection  with 
the  Flatey  book,  for  it  was  by  his  hands  that  Bishop  Brynolf 


PR  i:  FACE.  ,^ 

Steinsson  sent  the  royal  volume  to  Kin^  Frederick  III  (,66,) 
St.I    h.s  op.n.on  has  b.en  endorsed  by  many  schdar.  since 
h..s  t.me  and  especially  by  Carl  Christian  Rafu.  the  editor  of 
the  Anyt^„f,,  Amerinm,,.,  who  first  printed  the  Icelandic 
onj,nnals  of  the  two  Sa^^as.     Of  late,  however,  there  seen 

Fmd  ng  of  Wmeland  the  Good,"  (Oxford,  .890ns  outspoken 
In  h.s  advocacy  of  the  Karlsefne  Sa^a,  as  contained  in  the 

v.ew^  by  showing,  that  other  Icelandic  manuscripts  contain- 
ng  bnef  accounts  of  the  discovery  of  V.nland.  or  allusls 

hrprV^'T  T''  '^'■'^  ''^'■•^•""  ^^^her  than  with  the  stor^  o 
the  Flatey  Book.      However  that  may  be,  the  reader  I^ter 
carefully  perusing  the  two  versions  will  see  the  importance 

this  rr  f  "  "'  '"''^  ^"P^^'"'"^  ''^^'^  discrepancies  ;  and 
this  may  not  prove  impossible.  At  all  events  so  much  is 
certain:  Thormod  Torfason  has  given  a  fairly  full  andl^ec" 

tniT  1; m"'  '"'"'■^  f  ''^'  '■^"'^^'•>'  "^  ^^'"'-d.  as  given 
in  the  old  Norse  records.  He  has  concealed  no  difficulties 
nor  omitted  to  present  his  readers  with  all  the  Tvid  nee 
available  m  his  day.  Nor  has  much  been  added  lo  this 
evidence  since,  except  a  few  extracts  from  Are  Thorgillson's 

SaeTd      '"'  /""  ?^  L-^"-^b"k.  which  confiL 

Jew  Our  h'T'  V  V'^'r'  '^^'"^  "">'^'^*"^  essentially 
new.  Our  History  of  Vinland,  therefore,  has  not  outgrown 
Its  usefulness,  though  it  is  the  earliest  work,  that  made 
known  to  modern  scholars  the  tale  of  the  discovery  of 
America  by  the  Northmen.  ^ 


L 


HISTORY  OF 


ANCIENT  VINLAND. 


OR  OF 


PART  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 


In  which  is  reviewed  the  Reason  of  the  Name;  the  Position 
of  the  Land  is  determined  from  the  length  of  the  Days  in 
winter;  the  Fertility  of  the  Soil,  and  the  barbarous 
character  of  the  Inhabitants,  the  temporary  so- 
journ of  its  Discoverers  and  their  Exploits, 
the  Name  of  the  adjacent  Lands  and 
their  Appearance,  are  set  forth  from 
ancient  Icelandic  Sources 
brought  to  Light 


BY 


THORMOD  TORFAEUS, 

Royal  Historiographer  of   Norway. 


Copenhagen : 
Printed  at  the  press  of  his  Royal  Majesty  and  of  theUniversity 

1705 
At  the  Author's  Expense. 


' 


APPROBATION. 


u..-'^^lu^^\f^^''  °^  °''''  ""^^  '^  *°  e^tol  What  is  new  nee- 
ecting  the  old.    Therefore  not  so  much  the  induSce  fs 

noble  author  of  this  work,  rescue  from  darkness  and  brin^ 


p.  VINDINGIUS. 


is  new,  neg- 
ndulgence  as 
like  the  most 
ss  and  bring 
ihagen,  Sept. 


)INGIUS. 


To  the  most  Illustrious  and  most  Excellent 

Hero 

Lord   Frederick   de  Gabel,  Lord  of  Bregentued, 

Golden  Knight 

of  the  Order  of  the  Danebrog, 

Secret  Counselor  of  State  and  Justice 

of  His  Sacred  Majesty  of  Denmark  and  Norway, 

Lord  Lieutenant  of  Norway, 

Royal  Governor 

of  the  District  of  Aggershus  and  Ferroe, 


Most  Illustrious  and  Excellent  Lord. 

The  year,  immediately  preceding  the  present,  the 
fourth  of  this  century,  has  been  everywhere  consecrated  in 
eternal  records  as  most  memorable,  the  year  when  the  most 
august  sovereign  of  these  realms  and  their  hereditary  King, 
our  most  clement  Lord,  Frederick  the  Fourth,  accompanied, 
among  other  most  illustrious,  most  noble  and  great  ministers 
by  your  Excellency  also,  most  illustrious  Lord  Lieutenant, 
most  mercifully  deigned  after  the  example  of  his  great 
father,  of  most  glorious  memory,  Christian  the  Fifth,  to  visit 
his  realm,  from  its  easternmost  boundaries  even  to  Nidar- 
osia,  and  was  universally  received  with  the  most  marked 
enthusiasm  of  the  whole  people  and  of  all  classes,  with 
festive  acclaim  and  the  most  earnest  wishes,  the  most  ardent 
prayers  and  supplications  for  the  perpetual  safety  and  last- 
ing prosperity  of  his  Majesty.  Surely  parts  of  the  fifth  and 
sixth  da5's  of  July,and  the  intervening  night  which  was  turned 
into  bright  sunlight,  more  than  other  times,  shone  upon 
me  most  auspiciously,  when  on  that  royal  visit  our  Sov- 
ereign permitted  this  obscure  and  humble  village  to  be 
selected  for  his  stopping-place,  where  it  was  our  privilege 
to  behold  with  due  reverence  the  most  kind  and  gentle 
features  of  his  father  and  grand-father,  so  to  say,  revived 


i 


I 


I 


!  i 


^  DEDICATION. 

i 

to  -an  ir::;:rni:r "sr'  -''-'  -  '-^  ^---^ 

ters  with  bright  colors     Rn.     t         """^  '"''"'■°'"  '^^'  S^it- 

of  ancient  GrSand  and  of  ?r''''"'  °^    *^"  exploration 

proved  of  a  route  so  nftZ  !    ^    ^  """^^  ^"^  «^isap. 

reaching  the  end  aimed  Ik  ^''''5  """''  ''  ""'^  ^^  for 
moresui,   fe.  I  put  off  ..  J  "^  "  '"  P°'"'  °"'  °"^ 

hindered  by  he  "^,1,,  JP/^^'^r  "'  "'^  °P^"^°"'  ^eing 
following  mo  n LrHe  it  forth  f ''"'  ''^^■"*>^-  °"  '^^ 
Excellency  most  brieflt   .    •  *°  ^°"'  "^"^^  illustrious 

your  ExeeLr;^r'or/nr;^^^^^^^^  r/e.^'th  f  ^^^  ^- 
deigned  to  publish,  and  aftemards  to  p'lL;  f^^^^^^^ 
so  long  ago  I  explained  it  more  fuUvTn  Jttf     '  ^^"  "^* 
cellency  ;    finally  i  i„ser  edT  L  ^      S    ."^'  *°  ^^"^  ^x- 
Greenland.    The  second  nnL  ""^   ^'^^^'^^   *«  Ancient 

is  sufficiently  answered  bo ^^^^^^       '"^^^""^  ^^^^«'  Straits, 
manyandby^or  fgn  prece^^^^^^^  ^^^  to 

been  visited  long  ago  bv  ve,,.    'f         x?  ^'^''^^  ^^^^  ''  has 
ing  to  the  testJonTof'---  t^^  ^.^Sir^-^' 

-i^^:r'^r.^^:^Ve:rL^^^^^^ 

oX\tr-rrratthr--^^^^^^^^ 
government  o?  ai  Norway  whTcr"'".''"'^^  ^"'  ^"P^^'"- 
greatest  care  and  succesTLrh        ^?  ^^n^inister  with  the 
lency,  you  a.3  wont  toTni         T""'"'^  '°  ^^"^  Excel- 
things 'which  rltl  toTtr;"lfre  Xf  f  ^'  ^T^  °^^-     ' 
has  attained  m  past  ae-es     aZ  '  T  I     ^""^  *^^^  P^^P^e 
realms  of  our  part  o   the  Lbt  I     "^^  '^^  "^°^*  flourishing 
fame,yet  this  browned  b^the ^^-^rfiS     "'""^  ^^  °"^ 
its  colonists  parts  of  the  New  wll        ^^'"'"^*^'°"^^ 
(Vinland)  is  by  no  meansihe  lelst     I S  Tl  ^^^'^  *^'« 
record  thereof  which  haj  coml  f  *      .        '^  '"^^^^'  *^^t  the 
though  mention  is  Lde  therein  of"      "'  ^'  "''^  ^^""^'  ^^^ 
beasts  and  of  traffic  in  their  S  ye  S  "T^^  t  "^^'^ 
count,  so  that  they  note  neither  th^t  fe  eVoflTnt:; 


DEDICATION. 


fishes,  mention  very  few  species  of  trees  and  none  at  all  of 
plants,  nor  any  other  things  relating  to  the  description  of  the 
countries.  But  in  as  much  as  it  does  not  lie  in  the  power  of 
any  historian  to  furnish  himself  with  richer  materials  than 
have  been  handed  down  to  him,  your  Excellency  will  pardon 
my  deficiency  in  this  respect ;  for  I  know  the  moderation  of 
your  Excellency's  mind  to  be  such,  that  even  if  I  had  made 
a  rather  thoughtless  mistake,  you  would  yet  extend  to  me 
your  kind  indulgence  for  my  rashness.  But  as  the  mistake 
is  not  mine,  trusting  in  your  Excellency's  kindness,  of  which 
I  have  heretofore  received  various  marks,  I  most  humbly 
submit  to  the  patronage  of  your  Excellency  my  work,  such 
as  it  is,  as  well  as  myself,  and  request  for  both  your  favor, 
kindness,  good  will  and  protection.  That  the  Lord  of  Hea- 
ven may  plentifully  grant  your  Excellency  all  prosperity  in 
the  fullest  measure  worthy  of  Heaven,  I  sincei .  ly  pray  with 
suppliant  mind,  hand  and  pen. 

Your  most  illustrious  Excellency's 

Most  humble  servant, 

T.  TORFAEUS. 


'ii  I 


lit  !!■   \ 


!  ; 


11 


PREFACE  TO  THE  READER 

accent  re  z^r^:^-^^r  "4\%--^vi  - 

not  what  more  important  event  ha^  h        T  J^^'I  ^""^^ 
history  than  the  discovery  of  the  New  w"  ^^^f  ^°^^  ^" 

they  achievrd   nTiL'LT'L"'""''''''''  "'■"'"'''•  ''« 

Genoese,  who  in  the  year"^  o T^e  ^ro?^^^^^^  ^°^"^^"^'  ^ 
thereof.  Nor  did  Americus  Ve^puclus  of  p''"'''''^  t  ''''' 
foot  on  it  four  years  after  underT  '  ^^'''^'  ^^^  '"' 

King  of  Portugal,  o.r^'l'^^Tstri:^^^^^^ 

surnamed  Zeni.  in  the  vear  t,««  If.     V^^  ^    Antonio 

of  the  Norwegian  Kino-  "        ^^  ^  '  ^^^  ^^''  ^^^^ 

insisted  i'trufhTbf  Seventh ''    ;.^''*'  °'  *'^^  "^"^^'  «^  ^^ 

such  a  wav  that  thpv  tT  .       ,  ^^^^  ^'^   t^is  in 

away  that  they  have  not  only  secured  for  themselves 


PREFACE. 


the  undying  honor  and  glory  of  discovering  and  of  hastily 
settling  Vinland,  but  also  that  of  finally  making  it  known  far 
and  wide  and  of  publishing  the  Christian  religion  through- 
out the  neighboring  Albania  or  Great  Ireland,  (for  this  could 
not  have  been  done  before  by  others.)  Therefore,  kind 
reader,  behold  these  two  accounts  of  the  discovery  of  Vin- 
land, which  for  the  present  I  offer  you,  not  such  as  I  should 
wish  them  to  be,  but  such  as  they  have  been  handed  down 
to  me,  and  as  L  can  repeat  them.  Both  are  scant  and  slight; 
neither  is  entirely  consistent  with  the  other.  I  repeat  them 
rather  to  strengthen  my  present  thesis,  and  to  leave  the  posi- 
tion of  the  country{ Vinland)  to  be  investigated  by  others  from 
the  facts  here  set  down,  and  to  reclaim  for  the  descendants  of 
the  first  occupants  any  right  that  may  have  accrued  to  them 
from  that  occupation  than  from  a  hope  to  satisfy  you,  even 
by  both  stories  together.  The  first  narrative,  extending 
from  the  beginning  to  Chapter  VIII  is  found  in  the  Codex 
Flateyensis,  in  the  history  of  King  Olaf  Triggvin,  and,  as  it 
seems,  in  some  other  old  manuscripts  also.  Having  bor- 
rowed it  from  some  one  of  these,  the  most  distinguished 
head  of  the  Royal  Swedish  Archives,  John  Peringskjold, 
inserted  it  in  the  history  of  the  Norse  Kings,  the  Heims- 
kringla,  from  chapter  104  to  chapter  112,  whilst  they  do  not 
exist  in  the  manuscripts  commonly  ascribed  to  Snorro  Stur- 
leson,  to  wit :  the  Kringla  or  Jofraskinna,  which  I  have 
borrowed  from  the  Library  of  the  Church  of  the  Most  Holy 
Trinity,  at  Copenhagen. 

The  second  narrative,  a  most  famous  antiquary  of  the 
last  century,  the  Icelander  Bjorn  of  Skardsa,  collected  from 
ancient  documents,  and  chiefly  from  that  most  perfect  book 
on  the  Origins  of  Iceland,  by  the  jurist  Hauk,  who  died  in 
the  year  1334,  and  from  various  traditions  of  later  times. 
Both  agree  in  saying  that  at  the  end  of  the  tenth  century 
after  the  birth  of  the  Saviour,  or  at  the  beginning  of  the  fol- 
lowing century,  Vinland  was  seen  and  soon  after  discovered; 
and  hence  all  doubt  on  this  question  is  dispelled.  Their 
differences  in  other  particulars  are  so  far  from  destroying 
the  fundameutal  parts  of  the  story,  that  they  rather  streng- 


1 


I 


l!if 


iil 


ii 


'it 
h 

iiff  ' 


8 


PREFACE. 


tails,  readily  show  that  thellTii'  ?  '^"'^  "^°'"  "^'""^^  ^e- 
to  hand  down  frisehood  and  '"'  """'''^  ^^^  "°*  ^^^^P^^e 
copy  each  others' w^ConThT""  ''''  ^'^^^^  ^^^  ^^ 
tinguished  man,  Olaf  Sbe^ke  'n  thT""^  ''^*  "^^'  ^'«- 
the  first  chapte^  of  hif  Atilf  i  '^'^"^  Paragraph  of 

him  I  shall  ciL  few  words     pt'^^^^^^^      '^^'•"^^^>^=  ^^^"^ 
sertation  on  the  aLT^se  J^^i    ^'^'"^''"^^  ^  ^^^^^ 
fables  and  riddles,  he  a?d:."B^^^^^^^^^  ^"^^^-<^  ^n 

found  who  will  ^elrd  n  "t  ^  i  .t^^'  ''^^^'''  *«°'  "^^y  ^e 
writing,  but  histor/StinTfortWv"  fv ''""  "^^'^^^  °^ 
Wuage,as  fiction"^  esSlv  ff  T^  "^  ^V '^^  P'^^"^«* 
writers  disagree  in  ^om":  p  ^iel'^s 'X^-/''\'^''^^^"' 
are  compelled  at  different  Hmr .       ,  '^  ^"'^'^  writers 

event,  do  we  belSve  thltT    '°.ff^^'^  ^^^  and  the  same 

order,  the  sametumb  r^f^'jrdr  nd^'^^T  '^'  ^^"^^ 
enumeration  of  the  min^tJf  I  ,  P^^^^^^ly  the  same 
Truly  not  even  the  WEvI.  Particulars?  By  no  means  ! 
selves,  however  wonS^^^^^^^^^^  '"^^^  ^^^^  them- 

and  on  all  the  chief  Jn  ,^7.?  u  ^^'^^"^^"t  in  truth 
books  of  Kin  Jalso  -T!t  ^^  heavenly  teaching.  The 
Old  Testamel  alru^t   L^i:^^^^^^^^^  the^ 

period,  yet  so  differ  in  lan^^Z  ?  ''''^"^'  °^  ^^^  «ame 
of  the  facts,  that  to  obtaTa^.  i''  '™''  ^"  ^^^  ^"'^^^^ 
of  the  history,  they  must  sol^'^''  ""^  P^'"^^^^  ^^^^^^n 
and  help  eacLthe";  Therefore  Tatr'"?!!^  complement 
certainly  suffice  to  trace  out  t^/  attam  the  truth,  it  will 
story;  the  disagreement  of  I    .     ^''""'^^^  ^"^^"^^«  ^^  the 

too  unimportantTrcllirtruth'Jr"  ^f^^'^^^^' ^« 
own  light,  a  principle  which  wil,K-,T"  ''  '^^""'^  ^^  ^*« 
by  a  famous  exampfe     Moses  ha  '''?'^  "^°^^  ^""^ 

accurate  account  of  the  deWe  andT"  "'  *^'^  '"'  '^^  "^^^^ 
fully  its  occasion  causerii  f  .  ^'  '^^  ^°"^^  "^^^^  care- 
of  the  men  th  t  kS  ft    the       ""'^'^^  ^"'  *^^  ^^^^ 

-btfuigoodfar:^:t^S:;^r:^-— ^ 


PREFACE. 


0 


considerable  breaks,  some  interpolations,  as  well  as  many 
changes."  Then  after  setting  forth  the  various  versions  of 
the  catastrophe  he  finally  adds:  "What  of  the  fact  that 
any  one  who  is  willing  to  consider  these  things  carefully, 
will  see  clearly  this  inference,  which  while  it  was  not  before 
thought  of  by  any  one,  yet  exceeds  all  mere  probability:  that 
there  underlies  the  narrative  of  these  writers,  though  they 
differ  from  one  another,  a  certain  most  undoubted  substrat- 
um of  agreement  and  truth,  placed  there  so  to  say  by  divine 
Providence;  for  as  we  regard  those  who  relate  the  same  fact 
in  precisely  the  same  words  and  according  to  the  same  ar- 
rangement and  style,  as  pilferers  of  other's  work  (except 
one  who  precedes  the  rest  in  time)  so  also,  had  the  Chal- 
deans, Scythians,  Greeks  and  Egyptians  agreed  entirely  with 
Moses  or  any  other  historian  of  the  deluge,  both  in  language 
and  details,  they  could  never  have  escaped  the  same  criti- 
cism, and  in  that  case  the  whole  story  would  seem  to  depend 
on  the  testimony  not  of  many  but  of  a  single  witness.  But 
whenever  different  writers  differently  set  forth  the  same 
event,  in  regard  to  which  they  agree  with  one  another,  it  is 
evident  at  once  that  the  same  fact  was  beheld  or  perceived 
by  several  persons,  but  was  not  handed  down  to  posterity 
by  all  with  equal  truth  in  all  respects  nor  with  the  like 
care.  Meanwhile  however,  the  pith  of  the  story  will  be  con- 
firmed by  several  and  will  not  admit  of  doubt  on  our  part." 
But  I  am  excusing  the  variations  of  the  present  narra- 
tives in  a  larger  preface  than  is  necessary,  for  they  are  very 
slight  and  can  be  examined  with  very  little  trouble. 

I.  The  Codex  Flatevensis  relates  that  the  new  countries 
were  seen,  but  not  entered,  by  Bjarne,  the  Icelander,  that 
they  were  explored  and  endowed  with  names  by  Leif. 
Bjorn  of  Skardsa  is  silent  concerning  Bjarne,  but  the  rest  he 
admits ;  there  is  a  slight  difference  of  opinion  whether  Leif 
came  to  the  new  lands  when  returning  from  Norway,  or 
whether  he  sailed  from  Greenland  especially,  in  order  to 
explore  them. 

II.  The  Codex  Flateyensis  says  that  Thorvald,  the  son 
uf  Eric  the  Red,  next  visited  them  and  was  finally  pierced 


m 


.'*  ^f 


10 


PREFACE. 


with  an  arrow  by  the  Skraelings.    Bjorn  tells  a  far  less  prob. 

unl^edr'    "  '^  "^"'"^^^  ^^^  ^^^"^-«  country  ofthe 

dP.tJ";-  '^k''  ?u^^''  Flateyensis  says  that  after  Thorvald's 
death,  h.s  brother  Thorstein  undertook  a  voyage  thither 
Bjorn  places  that  voyage  before  Thorvald's  death  Thfcldex 
IS  more  trustworthy,  for  it  first  tells  of  his  wife's  death  of  the 
marnage  -tract,  and  lastly  how  she  married  K^set  '^ 
rlif       ;     Tr    1      °'^^''    Flateyensis   describes   a  third   exoe 

CO  ^nf.  n,     T  "   ^^^  ^°^  '•""^'^^d  Vinland.      Bjorn  re! 

to  Maryland  and  HellLnd  lolt'pltf ^  ce'rlLlvT 
pears  to  have  given  names  certamly  ap- 

Shan  „„.  examine,  for  it  is  no.  of  su'ch  imporrce  Ihe  S 
gence.      For  it  must  be  sought  in  that  part  of  the  Nor  h 

''^-^n7„ra-XT„n?;f.rnr:l^X^ 

12,  denies  that  Estotiland  is  to  be  found  in  those  nart«  ni 
America  (he  describes  Canada),  as  well  as  tha    the  island  o 
Fnsland  ever  existed  in  the  adjacent  part  of  the  ocean! 


PREFACE. 


11 


Henry  Kipping,  Pol.  Institutes,  book  I,  chap.  20,  p.  173.,  not 
only  supports  him,  but  denies  that  they  are  located  any- 
where,  in  the  following  words :    "  Frisland  and   Estotiland 
exist  nowhere,  whatever  the  Venetian  Zeni  in  their  Sea  Voy- 
age may  have  wished  to  make  us  believe;"  but  Buno  in  the 
notes  of  the  afore-mentioned  work,  book  III,  chap.  20,  para- 
graph 4,  page  209,  contradicts  himself  and  says  that  Green- 
land is  separated  by  Davis'  Strait  from  the  American  Es- 
totiland.   For  my  part  I  have  no  quarrel  in  regard  to  the 
name,  since  Sanson  d'  Abbeville  and   more  recent  geogra- 
phers regard  the  new  land  of  Labrador,  adjoining  Hudson 
Bay  as  identical  with    Estotiland  ;   that  it  is  not  the  same, 
however   as   the    Estotiland.   which    the    Zeni    describe,   I 
suspect  from  the  fact   that  they  state  that  it  (Estotiland) 
lies  more  than  a  thousand   miles  to  the  west  of  Frisland. 
Since  Frisland  however  is  usually  placed  in  62"  latitude 
and  about  342 •>   of  longitude,   whilst   Estotiland  is  placed 
580  of  latitude  and  about  290"  of  longitude,  they  (the  Zeni) 
must  have  proceeded  farther  towards   America  and  have 
found  there  the  Estotiland  which  they  describe.    This  land 
without  doubt  was  large,  since  it  was  little  smaller  than 
Iceland,  but  superior  in  fertility,  inasmuch  as  it  was  situated 
in  a  milder  climate,  very  rich,  and  abounding  in  all  kinds 
of  products,  even  gold  and  various  metals ;  remarkable  for 
its  cities,  castles,  towns  and  splendid  structures.    But  I  do 
not  know  whether  this  fits  those  barbarous  tribes  in  those 
times.     There  is  besides  the  published  description   of  the 
island  of  Drogio  and  of  the  vast  country  extending  thence 
towards  the  south  and  southwest,  which  present  the  features 
of  another  continent ;  these  statements  suggest  the  opinion 
that  they  were  carried  to  parts  of  North  America,  and  that 
those  who  afterwards  discovered  the  furthest  parts  of  North 
America,  convinced  that  they  had  reached  the  same  Estoti- 
land, of  which  they  (the  Zeni)  speak,  adopted  the  name, 
though  the  position  was  different;  certainly  the  construction 
of  boats,  quite  well  known  to  those  tribes  (the  Skraelings) 
and  described  exactly  in  this   document,  an  art   perhaps 
wholly  unknown  to  such  distant  nations  at  that  time,  would 


Ji-*wll 


km 


PREFACE. 


^m  i'onvince  me  that  those  brothers  were  carried  to  that 
pan  ui  tJH«  «<ean  and  reached  some  p  rt  of  America  •   if  I 
were  sure  tha  t  their  book  was  printed  before  the  knowledge 
of  those  tnbes  (the   Americans)  was  wide  spread  and  fur- 
nished  impostors  full  material  for  fiction  and  the  power  of 
inventing  fables.     Above  all,  on  account  of  the  gross  and  un- 
skilful   concoction   and   wonderful    stories  with  which  it   is 
filled,   I    thmk   that   the   book   was   compiled    in    more    re- 
cent times  under  the  name  of  such  distinguished  men.  for 
the  purpose  of  gaining  authority.    I  think  this  is  so  because  I 
iZl  T/  ^^''':^^r^.  i-^P^dence  of  Bleyker  and  the  shame- 
less boldness  of  Martinerius,not  to  mention  other  names;  botn 
ot  these,  vvith  astounding   temerity,  printed  and   published 
heir  travels,  Itineraries  to  Iceland  and  Greenland,  (and  the 
latter  pretends  that  in  the  time  of  Frederick  the  III  of  most 
glorious  memory,  he  traveled  thither,  though  I  am  not  cer- 
tain that  the  one  ever  saw  Iceland  and  either  of  them  Green- 
land), they  were  believed  by  many  and  the  latter  to  no  slight 

OhTp  ^T'f  ""^^r^^  ^''^  '^^'  "^"'^^  distinguished  man, 
Olaf  Rudbecke,  and  won  his  respect.    It  is  miraculous  tha 
he  chief  city  of  Fnsland  should  have  abounded  in  such  quan- 
tities of  fish  that  Flemings  as  well  as  Britons,  besides  Eng- 
lish, Scots,  Norwegians  and  Danes  imported  them  in  jrreat 
numbers,  and  the  islanders  accumulated  immense  wealth 
therefrom;  that  in  the  annals  of  these  nations  there  is  no 
mention  of  them,  and  not  even  a  trace  of  Frisland  and  of  the 
trade  wu'h  its  inhabitants  ;  that  not  even  the  Norwegians  ' 
and   Icelanders,  who,  frequently  stopping  in  their  country 
and  at  their  courts,  fought  in  their  wars  while  others  were 
engaged  in  commerce,  have  any  knowledge  that   Frisland 
was  ever  under  their  power,  and  that  it  was  wrested  froia 
them  by  Zichinnus,  and  that-a  thing  unusual  with  kmes- 
it  was  never,   I  shall    not   say,   recovered,  but    not    even 
sought  afti'r  or  attacked  with  a  view  to  restore  it  to  its 
allegiance.      '-.u  retort  that  it  is  mentioned  by  geographers 
tor  Johannes  .,      ■•= '.  ius  Ananias  in  his  Fabrica  del  Mqndo' 
informs  us  tbv.  h   '-is  day  ,t  greatly  abounded  in  fish  and  foi^ 
that  reason  uas  ^rc;  nested  by  Sc  -ch  and  British  merchants 


PREFACE. 


la 


and  that  he  was  informed  by  Jonas,  the  Breton,  a  re!  itive  of 
Jacques  Cartier,  who  first  discovered  New  France  in  the  year 
1554,  that  he  (Jonas)  had  himself  entered  it  and  that  its  in- 
habitants are  very  pf)lite  and  kind  towards  foreijjners  ;  and 
this  is  confirmed  by  l<lm  Boterus.  Moreover,  John  Antony 
Maginus  l)c.  irs  witness  that  in  his  day  the  Enjjlish  traded  there 
to  the  great  ad  vantage  of  the  ishinders,  and  that  they  called 
the  island  West  England.  Ortelius  also  mentions  it  on  page 
90,  ]'.(  1  Li  on  page  56,  as  well  as  John  Mirilius  in  a  geographi- 
cal treatise  published  in  the  year  1590;  whose  words  Arngrim 
Jonas  quoted  on  page  190  of  book  III,  of  his  Crymogaea 
adding  his  own  opinion  on  the  several  points.  But  Mer- 
cator  ana  Hondius  going  further,  set  down  the  cities  of 
Frisland  with  their  proper  names  :  i"  the  capital  of  the  same 
name  as  the  island.  2  Sorand;  3  Ocibar;  4  Sanestol;  5  Crod- 
me  ;  6  Doflfais  ;  7  Campo  ;  8  Rane  ;  9  Bondendon;  10  Rovea; 
II  Andefort ;  12  Cabaru.  Small  islands  near  Frisland  are 
also  enumerated  :  i»  Ilofo  ;  2  Jedeve  ;  3  Venai  ;  4  Monaco  ; 
5  Spirige  ;  6  Streme  ;  7  Ibini  ;  8  Duime  ;  9  Porlanda.  That 
these  statements  were  read  by  those  most  learned  men  Buno 
and  Kipping,  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt:  still  they  could 
not  be  induced  to  attach  any  importance  to  them  ;  nor  were 
more  recent  geographers  moved  to  give  them  a  place  in  their 
descriptions.  For  my  part,  I  who  have  gathered  the  history 
of  Norway  from  all  kinds  of  documents  worthy  of  credit, 
have  certainly  nowhere  found  any  mention  of  this  Frisland, 
and  therefore  deny  that  it  was  ever  subject  to  the  Norwe- 
gians ;  whatever  is  there  (in  Zeno)  recounted  of  Zichinnus' 
war  with  the  Norwegians,  must  therefore  be  placed  among 
th'  nj  ths  Nor  is  what  he  wrote  of  Iceland  and  the  neigh- 
boring islands,  more  probable;  for  it  is  contrary  to  the 
experience  of  all  ages.  On  these  points  the  reader  may  con- 
sult Arngrim  Jonas,  in  his  description  of  Iceland,  part  2, 
memb,  2,  page  m.  140  and  ff.,  as  well  as  Theodore  Thorlake's 
Dissertation  on  Iceland:   these  will  fully  satisfy  him. 

Therefore,  passing  over  the  absurdities,  which  that  writer 
has  published  about  Greenland,  so  different  from  the  descrip- 
tion of  Ivar  Berius    a  man  most  faniilar  with  those  mat- 


'•il 


11 
ii 


14 


PREFACE. 


i  i 


ters,  and  ignoring  the  other  tales  which  he  add^  f.. 
ple.concerninjrGrislanfl  Pcfio  a      Jr  ^^^^>  ^or  exam- 

and  never  dfsfoveS^;^  ?^  ^'^"^  ^"^  '^^  ""^nown 

that  the  gloy  of  first  dt  "'  '^r  ^^"'^'  "^  ^^^^^^e 
and  undimin  shed  TothtZ'''^^!''^  '''^""^"'  ^^°^^ 
descendants  of  the  No  semen  .'/''''  '"'  Icelanders,  the 
only  the  glory  of  dislTerrn^^rbuHlsroTt  X  ''T  "°^ 
the  Christian  religion  to  thofe  peop Is  fJ,  Are  M  "" 
said  to  have   been  f1r,-,ro„  u      .  -Tor  Are  Marson  is 

doe?  not  mi^tnTfro'^Z:  "'  "'^'^  '"•  ''"'"^  "■«»« 
(BookVI.chaD  2  n   ,,„rV,.'''°'^"^<''' at  200  miles 

have  been  co^^Vd  tl^^cU^  t^  ''^^'  ''^T''  '^ 
the  year  1000  after  Christ  In Hw  r^l  happened  before 
troduced  into  Iceland  for  h.  1  '"  ^^^^^ianity  was  in- 

skiaig.  who  fir:'TJai7tzi^.:f:^^^ 

neither  Greenland  nor  much  She  .b!  •       ''   ''"^^ 

Ireland  was  Christiahized  tL  «  !  ^  mentioned  Great 
ty  which  he  then  eZLei  m  J^^^^  7'''''''  ''  ^^"^^^-n- 
he  was  detained  th^e  dnPrf  t  T  ^/'"  *^"^^^  ^™  whilst 
there  as  long  as  he  lived  tL  1c  •'"'  '^  "^^  "^^^'^^ 
Jones,  Jonasfor  John  an  Irish  r'..  ^""J!''"'"'  ^^^  ^""^  ^^ 
first  Bishop  of  all  Icetnd  w^f        5°^'  '^''^  '^^^^^^  ^^^^^f.  the  - 

Schalholt;can.:"h^ttT::eTS'e"yf^^^^^^  ^'/  "^'^^^^^^  ^' 
is  said  to  have  gone  thence^  VinLnrr  J°^  """^  ^°^°  ^"^ 
Gospel,  and  ha^f ng  gained'o^e^X" t  Chri^t'toT^^'f  ^,'^ 

vXd^itrat  ^:;;:^b:rer  -^^^- ^^^^^^^ 

then  found  -t^tVe^:  1-rorbrL?^^  B^^^  ^^ 
his  writings,  but  also  this  very  Great  Iretnrlh  T'"  ^" 
so  that  this  story  of  the  aforesaid  Ire  wh  f       u"^^  ^"°^^"' 


PREFACE. 


15 


infer  that  even  more  Christians  from  Ireland  and  elsewhere 
went  thither  from  the  time  those  lands  first  became  known, 
to  propagate    their  religion,     though  the  Icelanders  and 
Greenlanders    were  not  aware    of  this.      This,    however, 
has  been  recorded  by  them,  that  subsequently  in  the  next 
century,  that  is  to  say  in  the  year  1121,  Eric,  the  first  Bishop 
of  Greenland,  visited  Vinland,  as  a  place  well  known  at  that 
time,  (for  what  other  purpose,  I  ask,  except  to  labor  there  for 
Christ  ?)  and  that  the  opinion  prevailed  that  he  perished  dur- 
ing that  visit.     But  in  the  chapter  quoted  above,  it  is  men- 
tioned, that  long  before  him,  Bjarn  the  champion  of  Breida- 
vik  reached,   if  not  Vinland,   certainly  some  other  part   of 
North  America,  and  that  by  his  aid  and  influence,  his  country- 
man Gunnlaug  Gudleifson  with   his   whole  ship's  company 
was  saved  from  imminent  danger  of  life.    These  are  the 
men,  who,  as  Sanson  d' Abbeville  in  his  description   of  Vir- 
ginia, page  14,  suggests,  were  taken  by  a  certain  Gascon  for 
Gascons;  for  he  writes  that  he  (the  Gascon)  assured  him  (San- 
son) that  he  would  prove  that  Gascons  had  been  in  New 
France  four  or  five  hundred  years  before  Baron  de  Lery  or 
John  Verazzani  came  there  ;  now,  the  former  came  there  in 
15 18,  the  latter  in  1542.     As  this  time  agrees  precisely  with 
the  period  when  those  countries  were  first  discovered, the  story 
adds  great  authority  to  our  story.     I  shall  say  nothing  of  the 
part  of  New  France  bordering  on  the  sea,  called  Norumberga, 
as  Cluverius  thinks,  from  the  city  of  the  same  name,  which 
name  Buno  in  his  notes  to  the  same  passage  interprets  to 
mean  Norway  or  a  colony  led  thither  from  Norway.     It  is 
clear  that  after  the  time  of  Christopher  Columbus,  no  part  of 
New  France  was   settled  by  the  Norse;  perhaps   the  name 
given  to  the  land  in  ancient  times  was  preserved,  but  whether 
the  city  was  built  before  the  arrival  of  the  French,  I  have  not 
yet  ascertained;  certainly  if  it  was  founded  before  their  time, 
it  seems  to  imply  the  origin  of  the  name  from  the  tribe,  if  af- 
terwards, from  the  country  in  which  it  lay,  and  that  again 
derives  its  name  from  the  old  colonists.     Thus  it  has  been 
fully  proved  that  that  part  of  America  became  well  known 
throughout  the  North  and  West  in  the  eleventh  century  of  the 


..ill 

'  :4.I 


t  *  I 


V  '. 


ft 


'm\ 


ill 


(  ■  I 


16 


PREFACE. 


w-  plunged  into  ^h:  den"      Zktss\iTw    ^"'""'"^  " 
known,   That  Harokl  tth^  r  "  "^^"^^^^  ^"^  became  again  un- 

was  about  to  explore  it  wasZrrlTht.  '■^"°"  '"y^- 

ocean  of  Greenhnd    .^H       I        .'^  '°™"' '°  "'« inbound 

plauMgafh^r  :^''hrsl"'TadH"'''°"'  "''"""«  "''^ 
ter  and  products  morec1reful,v  h  '"' ''='f"™«'  "^  <^l>arac. 
settling  his  quarrel  wkhrt/n*^'  ''\"'°'"'''  ""  doubt,  after 

booty, !nd  thrto'en  ■liig'neSlo''''  'T  '""'^  *"- 
would  have  acquired  wL,?th       !,  "^  ^""S^'^"' •  ™d  he 

whole  North  Bue„Z!l  in  f  ^T'  formidable  to  the 
for  so  great  and  un?„?ra„"Vd\7t*4?l'''  "f  ""■  ""^ 
Vinland  as  a  part  of  it,  a  certata  R„lf    ^'  P'"'"  "  """^ 

year  of  the  thirteenth  U.uy'L  Eric  t'h?"' '"/'''  *'"■ 
name,  Kingof  Norwav  «nr„7'  °J ''"O'  "le  second  of  that 

hater,\the'Greel°ruM  tTSe  U  L^r/""*'!,''^  ""^^'^ 
for  that  voyage  were  exacted  in  th.VT'^  """^  '"PP'"" 

Icelanders,  acLding  to  thfeonilctu-rA^  "'"  '™"  ">' 
gaea,  Book   III,  p  ,,„  .nd  ff  V  ,l^      .    ,  '^"'K""'  <Crymo- 

centuries  before  C;.umb:fdis!;^;e  td  a trto"  s"  ,Tl  '™ 
ca.  What  we  have  related  above  ?f  Madoclw',^""'"- 
1170,  IS  therefore  nowise  absurd  ■  f„r  ,t  .  ""^  >'o'"' 

this  period  sent  coIoZs  thi^hlr  '         '"f,  "^^^^al  nations  at 

how  Thorann?EarlTSrknev  o^h''"''''''''''"  '  ""''  '  '""'»'  "ot 

■edge  of  those  co^tltevers' r:;rs  mlTe'de^  I"?' 

crsrv^Zat  oti  ?h"  f'  r  """«'• " '"" - 

n.  king  of  NorlayUhe  knowred.t   rK""  T""^  """"  ^^ 
how  d,d  U  whol,y^est;r.h:  kn^edgeTf  Hetfvirr '' 

■nfrrd-fh::^<;i,tbri-~^^^^ 
rhattfitdTrhTk'^"^^^^^^^^^ 

vicissitudes.     I  am    onvinced  tlTall   hf  't^^  ^^  "'  "■^'^ 


PREFACE, 


h 


that  if  there  were  any  additional-  visitors,. they  were  treated 
ill  the  same  way,  and  that^  for'  this  reas«n  the  memory  of 
those  countries  and  peoples,  consecrated  among  the  Iceland- 
ers only,  sudd^hl)^  vanished.  That  the  Greenlanders  and  Ice- 
landers fearing  the  violence  and  number  of  the  natives,  gave 
up  the  occupation  of  the  land,  not  of  their  own  accord,  but 
against  their  will,  we  read  here,  and  Ivar  Berius  bears  witness 
that  all  the  Western  District  (Vestri  Bygd)  of  Greenland  was 
laid  waste  by  the  Skraelings.  I  shall  not  thence  conclude  with 
the  distinguished  Grotius,  that  these  tribes  (the  Skraelings) 
were  the  descendants  of  the  Greenlanders,  but  I  rather  con- 
sider "hem  the  offspring  of  the  Samoyeds,  whose  customs 
and  mode  of  life  are  proved  by  a  comparison  of  both  to 
resemble  those  of  the  Skraelings;  their  physique  and  charac- 
ter also  is  very  similar:  both  are  slim  of  build,  nor  do  they 
differ  in  form  and  features,  both  cover  their  tents  and  bodies 
with  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  both  alike  adore  the  sun,  both 
value  highly  the  cheapest  goods,  mirrors,  fish-hooks,  knives 
and  rattles;  both  are  equally  skilled  m  the  use  of  the  spear, 
and  in  unfailingly  striking  the  mark;  both  eat  raw  flesh, 
whence  both  have  a  fetid  stench;  I  shall  not  speak  of  other 
points  of  resemblance.  Nor  is  the  passage  (from  Asia  to  Amer- 
ica), however  much  obstructed  by  the  intervening  mountains 
and  deserts,  entirely  barred,  especially  to  men  pursuing  wild 
animals;  this  passage, moreover,  is  afforded  by  bays  and  straits 
which  are  spanned  with  ice  by  the  constant  cold,  as  if  by  a 
bridge.  Nor  is  there  a  boundless  distance  between  the  two 
peoples,  for  in  the  far  North  the  degrees  of  latitude  are 
smaller  and  the  distance  too,  broken  by  the  intervention  of 
tribes  near  Sualbardus,  as  is  shown  in  the  5th  chapter  of  my 
Greenland  towards  the  end.  This  origin  is,  furthermore 
proved  by  the  animals  common  to  both,  which  differ  from 
the  horses  and  oxen,  for  example,  that  have  been  brought 
to  Greenland.  These  were  unknown  in  America  before  the 
arrival  of  the  Spaniards,  and  the  natives  were  frightened  by 
their  lowing  and  neighing.  Therefore,  in  conclusion,  those 
barbarians  seem  to  be  the  offspring  of  the  Samnyeds,  carried 
to  the  furthest  ends  of  America  either  by  some  land  route 


,  ,.,1.1 


^^^ 


I      i 


16 


PREFACE. 


hitherto  unknown,  or  in  the  little  boats  invented  by  them- 
elves  (Which  were  not  endangered  by  the  sea).    And  yri 
should  not  forthwith  think  that  the  other  parts  of  America 
were  peopled  by  them,  and  that  nations  diif'ering  from  th" 
m  appearance  and  customs  were  descended  from  them    the 
difference  (in  physique  and  customs)  of  these  tribes  impHes  a 
d  fference  of  origin  also,  and  of  them,  I  must  not  dZur L 
as  they  he  outside  of  the  scope  of  my  work.     But  if  anyone 
thinks  the  same  of  the  last  chapter  of  this  book  wi  ch TeTls 
w.th  the  prodigies  of  Froda,  let  him  know  that  we  were  led 
by  the  incidents  there  related  to  refresh  the  wearied  spirits 
of  our  readers  w-^th  a  certain  variety,  and  everybody  caHx 
their  value  according  to  his  disposition  without  any  objection 
on  our  part.    As  nothing  further  that  is  worthy  of  mem  on 
suggests  itself,  do  you,  kind  reader,  read  and  julge  kfndly  of 
these  pages,  whatever  their  value.     Farewell.       ^^  ^''"'^^y  °^ 


i^ented  by  them- 
sea).  And  yet  I 
arts  of  America 
sring  from  them 

from  them;  the 
■  tribes  implies  a 
St  not  discourse, 
But  if  anyone 
ook  which  deals 
liat  we  were  led 

wearied  spirits 
erybody  can  fix 
It  any  objection 
•thy  of  mention 
judge  kindly  of 


HISTORY  OF 


ANCIENT  VINLAND. 


'■m 


■■*•« 


3 


CONTENTS. 


31 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  CHAPTERS  OF  THE  PRESENT 
HISTORY  OF  VINLAND. 


Approbation. 

Dedication. 

Preface  to  the  Reader. 


page      2 
3 


Chapter  I. 

Of  the  occasion  of  first  noticing  and  then  Discovering 
Vinland.  .  .  , 

Chapter  II. 
Of  the  Discovery  of  Vinland  by  Leif. 

Chapter  III. 
Of  the  Discovery  of  Vines  and  Wild  Grapes  and  of  Leif  s 


Return. 


Chapter  IV. 


25 


27 


28 


Of  the  Voyage  :  Thorvald  to  Vinland,  and  his  Expedi- 
tions to  parts  of  it ;  of  the  findings  of  some  persons 
of  an  unknown  race  ;  of  the  Murder  of  Thorvald  and 
the  return  of  his  companions  to  their  native  country.     30 

Chapter  V. 

Of  the  toilsome  and  fruitless  voyage  of  Leif's  brother, 
Thorstein,  who  intended  to  visit  Vinland,  of  his  forced 
return  to  Greenland,  when  the  plague  had  broken 


'M 


m 


I 


22  CONTENTS. 

out,  of  his  death  and  the  prodigy  connected  with  it.    32 

Chapter  VI.  * 

Of  the  Voyage  of  Karlsefne  to  Vinland,  of  his  traffic 
with  the  Skraelings  and  of  the  disputes  thence  aris- 
ing, which  resulted  in  open  war,  .  .  ,    ^4 


M' 


87 


Chapter  VII. 

Of  the  fourth  Expedition  to  Vinland,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Thorvald,  the  husband  of  Freydis  and  two 
Icelanders,  Helge  and  Fimbog,  of  the  inhuman 
cruelty  of  Freydis,  of  Karlsefne's  return  to  Iceland 
and  of  his  family. 

\ 

Chapter  VIII. 

Of  Leifs  journey  to  Norway  to  King  Olaf  Tryggvin  of 
his  discovery  of  Vinland  on  his  return,  and  of  the 
successful  preaching  of  the  Christian  religion  in  his 
native  counfry. 

Chapter  IX. 

Of  the  fruitless  attempt  of  Leifs  brother,  Thornstein,  to 
explore  Vinland,  of  his  return  to  Greenland,  of  his 
marriage  with  Thorbiorn's  daughter,  Gudrid,  of  her 
education  and  ancestors  in  Iceland.  '  42 

Chapter  X. 


41 


Of  a  certain  prophetic  woman,  of  her  appearance  and  of 
skill  in  the  magic  (seidic)  art. 


44 


I.      I 


Chapter  XI. 

Of  the  infectious  disease  that  arose  among  Thorstein's 
crew,  of  his  death  and  of  a  prodigy,  of  the  ancient 


d  with  it.    32 


CONTENTS. 


33 


mode  of  burial  in  Greenland,  of  the  arrival  of  Karlsef- 
ne,  and  his  marria^^e  with  Gudrid  4« 

47 


il 


Chaptkr  XII. 

Of  Karlsefne's  Voyage  to  Vinland,  of  his  companions  on 
that   Expedition,  viz :  Bjarue,    Thorhall,  and  Thor- 

Sv'^W  '"""^""^^^  °^  ^"^  '^"^  R^d,  and  his  son 

••••..     51 


Chapter  XIII. 

Of  Thorhall  the  Hunter,  who  is  driven  by  storms  to  lee- 
land  and  there  held  in  bondage  to  the  end  of 
his  life  of  the  further  Bxpioration  c:  Vinland  by 
Karlsefne  and  his  companions,  of  the  land  and  water 
products  there,  of  the  dress  of  the  Skraehngs,  of  their 
traffic  and  of  the  disputes  and  wars  thence  arising 

Treat tr''^^  .^"'  ^"    '''  ""'^^'^^^   --^-"^' 


Chapter  XIV 

Of  the  slaying  of  Thorvald,  the  son  of  Eric  the  Red  '^v 
a  one-footed  man,  of  Karlsefne's  sojourn  at  Straums- 
fiord  for  three  winters,  of  the  birth  of  his  son  Snorre 
of  the  captivity  of  two  Skraelings,  of  the  dangerou^ 
voyage  Bjarne  Grimolfson  in  the  Irish  Ocean  of  his 
honorable  conduct  towards  a  certain  Icelander  in  ex 
treme  peril  of  life,  of  Karlsefne's  return  to  Iceland 
and  his  descendants.       .  '     ' 


53 


'I 

m 


fr 


57 


Chapter  XV. 

« 

Adan.  of  Bremen's  Story  of  Vinland,  consistent  with  the 

u^:  ^f /i'  ^'^^*  '^''^^^^-  '-^ga^ding  its  position, 
whilst  Olaf  Rudbeck  no  less  erroneously  identifies 


34 


CONTENTS, 


<   ;:  a 


Vinland  with  Finland,  and  the  story  of'  the  position 
of  Great  Ireland  and  of  Are,the  Icelander,  and  of 
the  pitch  of  the  Greenlanders.  .  .  ,    fifV 


Chapter  XVIv 

Of  the  voyages  to  Vinland,  of  the  Saxon  Bishop  Jones 
and  of  Eric,  Bishop  of  Greenland,  and  concerning 
Gudleif  Gudlangson.       .....    «'<J 


Chapter  XVII. 
Of  the  prodigies  of  Froda. 


65 


Addenda. 


74 


VINLAND. 


'M 


CHAPTER  I. 


1 


OF    THE   OCCASION    OF     THE    FIRST   NOTICING     AND    AFTERWARDS 
DISCOVERING    VINLAND. 

The  well-known  Herjulf,  who  accompanied  Eric  the  Red 
in  the  year  985  from  Iceland,  and  settled  Herjulfsnes,  by  his 
wife  Thorgerde  had  a  son,  named  Bjarne,  who  going  in  ten- 
der  youth  to  foreign  parts,  acquired  wealth  and  experience  • 
his  winters  he  spent  alternately  either  abroad  or  with  his 
father,  and  he  had  resolved  to  pass  the  present  winter  at  his 
father  s  home.     But  when  on  his  return  to  his  native  land  he 
learned  that  his  father  had  gone  to  Greenland  the  same  sum- 
mer and  there  settled,  being  a  stubborn  observer  of  customs 
he  had  once  adopted,  he  declared,  he  would  spend  the  winter 
m  his  father's  house  even  in  Greenland,  though  unknown  to 
him  and  recently  discovered;  therefore  he  entrusted  his  ship 
to  an  unknown  sea,  unploughed  by  any  of  his  sailors  before 
him    Three  days  were  passed  in  sailing,  during  which  he  saw 
nothmg  except  the  sky  and  the  water,  and  then  a  northwind 
blowing,  darkness  for  several  days  prevented  his  seeing  any- 
thing,  and  made  it  impossible  to  direct  the  ship's  course-  the 
darkness  being  dispelled,  they  sailed  a  whole  day  and  night 
with  sails  set,  until  an  unknown  land  came  in  view     When 
on  approaching  it,  they  found  it  bare  of  mountains,  covered 
with  forests  and  low  hills,  they  turned  their  ships  and  left  it 
For  two  days  after  they  sped  along  before  a  south  south-east 
wind,  until  another  country  came  in  sight,  level,  and  full  of 
woods;  when  the  captain  recognized  that  it  differed  from  the 
mountainous  and  snow-clad  landscape  of  Greenland,  though 
the  sailors  begged  him  to  land  and  take  in  water  and  wood 
and  though  the  wind  was  still,  he  yet  did  not  permit  him' 
self  to  be  prevailed  upon,  for  which  he  even  incurred  some 
blame.    When   he  had   departed  thence,   taking  advantage 
of  a  south-west  wind,  which  for  three  days  filled  his  sails  he 


?.r; 


i'' 


Ult 


.'"4I 


'**■«■•  il 


11 


f 

I    ! 
1 


20 


HISTORY  OF 


found  still  another  land  with  lofty  mountains  and  white  peaks. 
This,  too,  when  on  approaching,'  it  he  had  found  it  an  island, 
he  passed  by  as  useless.  And  now  as  the  breeze  grew  strong, 
he  ordered  the  sails  to  be  partly  furled  ;  four  days  were 
passed  on  this  part  of  the  voyage;  then  at  last  a  fourth  time 
land  was  seen,  which  from  the  description  of  others  he  judged 
to  be  Greenland,  and  directing  his  ship  towards  it,  ht 
reached  towards  evening  Cape  Herjulfsnes,  where  his  father 
lived;  and  having  been  more  lucky  in  finishing  his  voyage, 
than  he  was  wise  in  undertaking  it,  he  ceased  henceforth  to 
travel  and  remained  with  his  father  as  long  as  the  latter 
lived,  and  after  his  death  took  possession  of  his  estate. 


CHAPTER  II. 

OF   THE    DISCOVERY   OF   VINLANU    BY    LEIF. 

When  Bjame  Herjulfson  crossing  over  from  Greenland 
came  to  Eric  Hacon's  son,  the  Earl  of  Norway,  he  was  at 
first  hospitably  received  by  him  and  then  enrolled  in  the 
number  of  his  courtiers,  and  related  what  lands,  until  then 
untrodden  by  any  one,  as  far  as  he  knew,  he  had  seen;  in  the 
opinion  of  the  crowd,  he  was  partly  condemned,  because  he 
lacked  ambition  to  explore  them.  The  next  summer  he 
crossed  to  Greenland  and  there  was  repeatedly  question  of 
seeking  those  countries.  To  him,  therefore,  came  Leif,  the 
Lucky  of  Brattahlide,  bought  his  ship  and  having  hired  thirty- 
five  sailors,  asked  his  father  to  become  their  leader  for  the 
purpose  of  looking  up  the  lands  recently  seen.  Eric  excused 
himself  on  account  of  his  old  age,  which  made  him  less  fit 
to  bear  the  hardships  of  sea  and  tempest  than  he  was  in  his 
youth.  At  last  he  yielded  to  the  importunities  of  his  son,  and 
trusted  to  fortune  which  had  favored  him  beyond  the  rest  of 
his  family;  but  setting  out  from  home,  when  not  far  from  the 
ship,  he  was  thrown  off  his  horse,  which  had  grown  restive, 
and  sprained  his  foot;  regarding  this  as  an  unfavorable  omen 


4 


VINLAND. 


97 


he  declared    that    fate   had    not  ordained    that    he    should 
discover  more  lands  than  the  one  they  inhabited,  and  return- 
ed home,  whilst   I.eif  with  his    associates  carried  out  their 
plans;  amony-  these    there    is  said  to  have  been   a    certain 
southerner  (for  by  his  name  our  ancient  writers  understand 
the  Germans),     Tyrker  by  name.     The  country  last  seen  by 
Bjarne,  first  met  their   view,  and  approaching  it,  they  sent 
out  a  boat;  climbing  up   mountains    covered    by  perpetual 
snow,  they  noticed  that  below  as  far  as  the  sea,  the  land  was 
covered  with  continuous  rock,  and  was  therefore  utterly  un- 
inhabitable. .   Then  said  Leif :  Bjarne's  listlessness,  at  least, 
we  have  made  amends  for  by  exploring  the  country.     I  sliali 
therefore,  give  it  a  name  to  match  its  character,  and  it  shall 
be  called  Helluland,  that  is  to  say,  rocky  land.     Starting 
thence  they  found  another  Innd;  landing  here,  likewise,  they 
found  it  flat,  and  without  harbors,  here  and  there  green  with 
woods,  and  again  covered  with  white  sand.     This  Leif  called 
Markland  from  its  flatness  (hence  it  is  clear  that  the  word 
MARK  means  not  as  some  say  "country,"  but  "plain"  or  "flat 
land.")     Sailing  thence  after  a  short  delay,  a  north-wind  fill- 
ing their  sails  for  two  days;  they  again  saw  land,  along  whose 
northern  side  stretched  an  island.     They  brought  their  ship 
close  up  to  this  and  disembarking  in  clear  weather,  they  ob- 
served grass  dripping  with  dew  and  vying  even  with  honey 
in  sweetness.     Returning  thence  to  their  ship  they  brought 
it  to  the  sound,  which  lay  between  the  island  and  the  cape, 
that  stretched  northward  from  the  mainland :  when  sailing 
past  the  cape  they  veered  towards  the  west,  the  water  ebbed 
away,  and  the  ship  struck  on  the  quick-sands,  and  was  sepa- 
rated from  the  sea  by  great  shallows.    But  so  great  was  their 
eagerness  to  see  the  newly  found  land,  that  without  waiting 
for  the  tide,  they  left  the  ship  behind  and  immediately  en- 
tered the  land  by  a  river  which  flowed  from  a  lake;  when  the 
tide  rose,  they  brought  the  ship  by  the  river  into  the  lake, 
and    after    fastening    it    by    casting    anchor    they    estab- 
lished huts  on  the  bank  and  then  built  commodious  winter 
quarters.     Both  river  and  lake  abounded  in  great  shoals  of 
salmon,  larger  than  any  they  had  seen  before.     So  great  is 


f^'r/i  I 


'  t  >i 


28 


HISTORY  OF 


the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  the  mildness  of  the  climate,  that 
cattle  did  not  seem  to  need  hay  in  the  winter  season  ;  there 
IS  no  winter  cold  ;  the  grass  did   not   wither.     In  winter 
the  days  were  longer  than  in  Iceland  or  Greenland,  the  sun 
rose  about  nine  o'clock  at  the  time  of  the  winter  solstice  and 
set  at  three  o'clock.     (That  they  were  not  very  exact  in  this 
observation,  is  proved  by  the  fertility  of  the  country  and  the 
character  of  the  climate  ;  for  nowhere  else  at  50"   26  ',  from 
the  equator,  where  the  longest  day  is  eighteen  hours  and  the 
shortest  six,  is  such  fertility  known  to  prevail.    For  with  them 
the  parts  of  the  day  consisted  of  three  hours;  but  they  did 
not  accurately  distinguish  them  in  these  parts.)    Then,  their 
dwellings  being  completed,  they  were  divided  into  two  part- 
ies, some  were  kept  home,  others  having  drawn  lots,  were 
sent  out  to  explore  the  country  in  a  body,  lest  being  scat- 
tered they  be  exposed  to,  danger;  but  they  were  instructed 
not  to  explore  it  further  than  they  could  go  and  return  in 
one   day;   Leif  alternately  joined  each  party,  being  every- 
where welcome  on  account  of  his  prudence  and  skill. 


CHAPTER  III. 

OF   THE   DISCOVERY   OF   VINES   AND    WILD   GRAPES,    AND 

OF  leif's  return. 

Now  it  happened  that  when  the  exploring  party  return- 
ed, the  German  Tyrker  alone  was  missing.  Leif  forthwith 
sent  twelve  men  to  seek  him,  for  he  was  very  anxious  on  his 
account,  inasmuch  as  the  man  had  lived  a  long  time  in  his 
father's  house,  had  been  fond  of  himself  from  childhood  and 
his  devoted  follower;  they  had  not  gone  far  from  the  winter 
quarters  when  they  met  him  in  a  jolly  frame  of  mind,  and 
looking  like  a  drunken  man,  who,  rolling  his  eyes  hither  and 
thither,  excited  their  laughter,  being  a  man  small  of  stature, 
but  exceedingly  skilled  in  all  kind  of  mechanical  arts.  Asked 
for  the  reason  of  his  delay  and  chattering  for  a  long  time  in 


VINLAND. 


ai) 


German,  a  lan^^uage  unknown  to  the  rest,  he  finally  answer- 
ed that   he  had  gone  a  little   further  than   Leif   and  found 
vines  and  grapes ;  when  they  expressed  doubts,  he  assured 
them  that  he  had  been  born  where  grapes  grew  in  plenty 
Therefore,    dividing    the    work    among    his    sailors,    Leif 
set  some  to  gather  grapes  and  others  to  cut  vines,  and  filled 
the  boat  with  the  former  and  the  ship  with  the  latter     The 
fields  there  produced  wheat  of  their  own  accord,  and  the 
trees  called  Mausur;  of  each  they  took  some  to  carry  home 
and  some  timbers  of  such  size  that  they  could  be  used  to' 
build  houses.     Leaving  the  newly  found  country  in  the  be- 
ginning of  spring,  Leif  called  it,  from  the  vines  and  grapes 
Vinland  or  Wine  Land.     Then  returning  to  Greenland  with 
favorable  winds,  when  its  snow-clad  mountains  were  in  sight 
he  turned  his  ship  from  the  straight  course:  when  one  of  the 
crew  asked  the  reason,  whether  he  noticed  a  cliff  or  a  ship 
he  answered  that  he  was  not  clear  about  it.      When  all 
thought  the  object  seen  to  be  a  cliff,  he  saw  also  some  men 
wandering  on  them,  for  he  was  keener  sighted  than  all  the 
rest.    But  when  they  had  all  seen  the  shipwrecked  men  he 
declared  that  if  they  were  peaceful,  he  would  take  them  out 
of  danger,  but  otherwise  he  would  bring  them  under  his 
power;  having  despatched  a  smaller  boat,  he  took  off  fifteen 
together  with  their  Norse  captain  Thorer,  and  received  all  to- 
gether with  as  much  merchandise  as  they  could  take,  into' his 
ship,  and  brought  them  to  the  bay  of  Eriksfjord  and  to  his 
paternal  estate  Brattahlide.     Thorer  with  his  wife  Gudrid 
Thorbjorn's  daughter,  and  three  sailors,  he  himself  enter- 
tamed;  the  rest  he  distributed  among  his  neighbors,who  gave 
them  hospitality.     Thereafter  he  received  the  name  of  the 
Lucky  or  Fortunate;  this  however,  the  manuscript  Chronicle 
as  well  as  the  Codex  Flateyensis,  on  page  2^3,  contradicting 
Itself,  referred  to  the  year  1000.    Henceforth  he  is  reported  to 
have  grown  in  wealth  and  reputation.     But  to  his  brother 
Ihorvald  the  new  country  did  not  seem  to  have  been  suffic- 
iently explored.    Therefore  he  borrowed  his  brother's  ship 
on  condition  however,  that  he  should  first  bring  home  the  tim- 
ber which  Thorer's  wrecked  ship  had  carried,  and  which  had 


""  ■  *  3 


m 


f!^  ;r.. 


ii  ■ .  'ir 


30 


HISTORY  OF 


;-.'i- 


been  left  cm  the  cliff.  The  same  winter  disease  breaking  out 
among  Thorer's  crew,  carried  him  off,  with  a  great  part  of 
the  men:  Eric  the  Red,  a  man  famed  for  discovering  Green- 
land, died  the  same  year.  I  cannot  find  the  exact  year  either 
of  the  Christian  era  or  of  the  reign  of  Yarls  Eric  and  Sven 
who  at  that  time  ruled  Norway. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

OF    THE  VOYAGE    OF  THORVALD    TO  VINLAND  AND    HIS    EXPLORA- 
TION OF  PART  OF  IT  ;   OF  THE  FINDING  OF  SOME  PERSONS 
OF    UNKNOWN    RACE  ;     OF    THE    SLAYING    OF    THOR- 
VALD,   AND    THE    RETURN    OF    HIS   COMPANIONS 
TO    THEIR    NATIVE    COUNTRY. 


Thorvald,  having  engaged  thirty  sailors,  started  off  to 
Vinland  and  spent  the  winter  in  fishing,  in  the  winter  quar- 
ters of  his  brother  Leif.  The  following  spring,  keeping 
back  a  light  boat,  he  put  a  part  of  the  sailors  on  board  the 
ship  and  sent  them  to  explore  the  western  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, throughout  the  summer.  The  land  seemed  pleasant, 
being  covered  with  woods  that  were  at  a  short  distance  from 
the  sea;  the  shore  was  covered  with  white  sand,  lined  every- 
where with  many  islands,  separated  from  one  another  by 
extensive  shoals:  no  human  dwellings  were  found  there,  nay 
not  even  the  dens  of  wild  beasts:  only  in  an  island  towards 
the  west,  wooden  structures  were  found,  pyramid-shaped, 
such  as  are  used  instead  of  barns,  to  store  corn  (the  Codex 
Flateyensis  calls  them  Kornhialm  af  tre),  but  no  other 
traces  of  man.  And  so  they  returned  the  same  autumn  to 
their  winter  quarters.  The  following  summer  the  ship  steer- 
ing towards  the  eastern  and  northern  shores  was  overtaken 
by  storms  and  running  on  a  headland,  broke  its  keel  and  un- 
derwent repairs  there  for  a  long  time.  Hence  Thorvald 
called  the  headland  Kialarnes,  that  is  to  say,  Cape  Hull. 


VINLANU. 


81 


Then  turning  eastward  they  came  to  the  entrance  of  a  bay 
and  steering  the  ship  to  the  nearest  headland,  all  covered 
with  forests,  brought  her  to  a  harbor.  Then  Thorvald,  with 
all  his  crew,  landed  on  the  cape  and  was  taken  by  the  beauty 
of  the  spot:  "Here,"  said  he,  "it  is  beautiful,  and  I  should 
like  to  fix  my  home."  And  returning  to  the  ship  they  beheld 
three  hills  on  the  sand  below  the  headland:  on  betaking 
themselves  thither  they  noticed  three  boats  of  leather  or 
hide,  and  under  each  boat  three  men,  one  of  whom  escaped 
with  his  boat :  the  remaining  eight  were  seized  and  slain, 
with  great  thoughtlessness,  for  it  would  surely  have  been 
better  to  humor  them  rather  than  frighten  and  exasperate 
them.  Returning  thence  to  the  headland  they  saw  within 
the  bay  some  hills  which  they  judged  to  be  inhabited.  Then 
a  sudden  sleep  fell  upon  them  all,  so  deep  that  it  could  not  be 
shaken  off  even  for  the  appointed  watches;  it  was  broken  by 
a  voice  suddenly  heard  which  called  out  as  follows:  "Awake, 
Thorvald,  I  beseech  thee,  with  all  thy  companions,  if  you 
intend  to  save  yonr  lives:  embark  all  of  you  with  the  great- 
est speed  and  depart  hence."  Aroused  by  these  words,  they 
befc.  Id  the  entire  bay  covered  with  boats  ;  Thorvald,  there- 
fore, advises  his  men  in  this  sudden  emergency,  to  protect 
themselves  by  defences,  made  up  of  twigs  and  logs,  but  not 
to  be  forward  in  attacking  the  enemy.  Then  there  arose  a 
great  crowd  and  poured  upon  them  javelins  and  arrows  right 
and  left;  but  after  a  short  hour  they  scattered  in  flight  and 
disorder.  These  men  the  Norsemen  called  Skraelings,  in 
contempt,  that  is  to  say,  dwarfs.  Then  Thorvald  asked  his 
men  whether  any  of  them  had  been  wounded ;  when  they 
told  him  that  no  one  was  hurt,  he  said,  that  he  himself  had 
been  wounded,  having  been  struck  by  a  missile,  which  pass- 
ing his  shield,  had  lodged  underneath  the  armpit,  and  that 
the  wound  no  doubt  was  mortal;  he  therefore  ordered  him- 
self to  be  carried  to  the  headland,  where  he  had  intended  to 
settle  and  bade  them  bury  him  there;  adding  that  his  inten- 
tions had  not  been  frustrated,  for  that  he  would  dwell  there 
for  a  long  time.  He  commanded  two  crosses  to  be  erected, 
one  at  his  head,  the  other  at  his  feet,  and  the  headland  in 


'0 


mm 


',*;V 


32 


HISTORY  OF 


i  f( 


il' 


future  to  be  called  Krossanrs,  or  "the  headland  of  the  cross- 
es," and  he  ordered  the  men  to  hasten  thence  speedily.  Here 
the  Codex  Flateyensis  states,  that  at  this  time  Greenland  was 
converted  to  Christianity,  though  Eric  the  Red  died  before  its 
conversion,  whilst  on  page  233,  it  (the  Cod.  Flat.)  stated,  that 
in  consequence  of  Leif's  exhortations,  Eric,  with  the  whole 
population  of  Greenland  had  been  baptized.  There  (at  Kross- 
ans)  Thorvald  was  buried,  as  he  had  instructed  his  men;-  but 
the  sailors  having  returned  to  their  companions,  remained 
there  the  following  winter.  But  in  the  ensuing  spring,  having 
laden  their  ship  with  vines  and  grapes,  they  weighed  anchor 
and  came  to  Greenland,  to  Leif,  on  the  estate  of  Brattalihde. 


W  ill 


!!!i 


CHAPTER  V. 
( 

OF    TUf:    TOILSOME    AND    FRUITLESS    VOYAGE    OF    LEIF's    BROTHER 

THORSTEIN,    WHO    INTENDED    TO    VISIT    VINLAND  ;    OF    HIS 

FORCED  RETURN  TO  GREENLAND  WHEN  THE  PLAGUE 

HAD  BROKEN   OUT;   OF  HIS   DEATH    AND   THE 

PRODIGY    CONNECTED   WITH    IT. 

Whilst  these  events  took  place  in  Vinland,  Thorstein  the 
third  son  of  Eric  the  Red,  married  Gudrid,  the  wife  of  the 
Thorer,  whom  Leif  had  saved  when  Thorer  was  ship- 
wrecked. Having  now  learned  of  his  brother's  death,  he 
resolved  to  sail  over  to  Vinland,  in  order  to  bring  home 
Thorvald's  remains.  In  the  same  ship,  therefore,  in  which 
his  brother  had  sailed,  he  v/eighed  anchor,  having  shipped  a 
crew  of  25  chosen  men,  and  obtained  the  winter-quarters  of 
his  brother  Leif,  not  as  a  present  but  for  use ;  he  took  his 
wife,  to  share  not  only  his  couch  but  also  his  voyage.  Having 
been  tossed  about  by  storms  all  summer,  he  was  carried  one 
week  after  the  beginning  of  winter  into  the  western  bay  of 
Greenland,  called  Lysufjord :  there  he  distributed  all  his 
sailors  in  winter-quarters  in  the  neighborhood,  but  he  alone 
with  his  wife,  being  without  quarters,  remained  in  the  ship 
for  some  days;  finally  at  the  invitation  of  a  certain  Thorstein, 


VI N  LAND. 


m 


surnamed  Surt,  or  the  Black,  who  was  the  only  man  there, 
who  with  his  wife,  called  Grimhilde,  inhabited  a  house  with- 
out family;  he  staid  with  him  and  considering  the  means  of 
the  master,  was  entertained,  if  not   sumptuously,  at  least 
kindly.     In  the  beginning  of  winter  a  disease  attacking  all 
Thorstein's  sailors,  carried  off  many  of  them  ;  their  bodies 
he  placed  in  coffins  and  put  on  the  ship,  intending  to  take 
them  to  Eric's  bay  and  bury  them  in  the  spring.     At  that 
time  Christianity  was  new  in  Greenland,  and  Thorstein  the 
Black  and  his  wife  Grimhilde  had  not  yet  adopted  its  doc- 
trines.    The  woman,  in  size  and  strength  was  a  match  for  the 
strongest  man:   at  length  the  same  plague  attacked  her  as 
well  as  Thorstein  Ericson,  and  they  lay  ill  at  the  same  time. 
But  she  having  died  first,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  less 
wealthy  in  those  places,  was  to  be   placed  on  a  bier :    but 
whilst  her  husband  Thorstein  was  busy  in  procuring  it,  Grim- 
hilde, in  presence  of  Thorstein  Ericson,  who  was  ill  at  the 
same  time  and  of  his  wife  Gudrid,  began  to  look  for  her  shoes, 
intending  to  rise;  but  going  back  to  bed  as  her  husband  re- 
turned, she  struck  it  with  a  great  thud ;  her  husband  with 
great  exertion  and  difficulty  carried  her  out  and  buried  her. 
Afterwards   Thorstein   Ericson   died.     Now   Thorstein,  the 
owner  of  the  farm,  to  console  his  (Thorstein  Ericson's)  widow, 
promised  to  take  her  to  Eriksfjord,  with  the  corpses  of  her 
husband  and  his  companions,  and  to  bring  many  to  his  house, 
lest  she  would  waste  away  there  through  dulness.      Mean- 
while the  dead  Thorstein  sitting  up  in  bed  said:  "Where  is 
Gudrid  ?"  and  he  thrice  repeated  this  question.    She,  dazed 
by  this  prodigy,  asked  her  host  whether  she  must  answer, 
and  was  prevented  by  him  from  doing  so.    But  he  went  up 
to  the  bed  and  took  a  seat  near  it;  then  he  enquired  what  he 
(Thorstein  Ericson)  wished.   The  latter  answered  that  though 
he  had  reached  a  beautiful  place,  he  desired  to  comfort  his 
wife  and  make  known  to  her  her  future  destinies;  he  foretold 
that  she  would  marry  an  Icelander,  would  live  with  him  in 
his  country  for  a  long  time,  and  that  from  him  would  spring 
a  noble  family;  that  she  would  visit  Rome,  would  become  a 
nun,  near  the  church  which  was  building  in   Iceland,  and 


■>'A 


:'il 


Ill: 


J    ¥  ■' 


(Ml 


>.U  I 


34  HISTORY  OF 

would  peacefully  die  there  in  advanced  old  age.  Whether 
this  story  be  true,  or  was  concocted  and  corrupted  to  flatter 
the  bishops  who  were  descended  from  her,  I  leave  to  the 
reader's  judgment.  After  saying  this  Thorstein  sank  back 
into  his  bed.  His  corpse  and  those  of  his  companions  the 
other  Thorstein  honestly  took  where  he  had  promised  to 
bury  them,  and  selling  his  farm  emigrated  with  all  his  prop- 
erty to  E  :  ^fiord,  and  lived  there,  but  much  more  respected 
than  before.  The  corpses  were  all  buried  near  the  Church, 
which  had  then  been  built ;  but  Gudrid  departed  to  her 
husband's  brother,  Leif. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

1 

OK  THE    VOYAGE   OF  KARLSEFNE  TO    VINLAND;   OF  HIS   TRAFFIC 

WITH  THE  SKRAELINGS,  AND  OF  THE  DISPUTES  THENCE 

ARISING,  WHICH    RESULTED  IN    OPEN  WAR. 

In  the  same  year  a  very  wealthy  man,Thorfinn,  surnamed 
Karlsefne,  an  Icelander,  son  of  Thord  of  Hesthofde,  grand- 
son of  Snorre  by  Thorhilde  Riupa,  daughter  of  Thord  Geller, 
great  grandson  of  Thord,  of  the  estate  Hofde,  called  also 
Spakonufellzhofde,  starting  from  Norway  to  Greenland  was 
hospitably  received  by  Leif,  and  having  gained  his  consent 
married  Gudrid.  He,  with  sikty  sailors  formed  a  partnership 
to  colonize  Vinland,  the  profits  to  be  shared  equally.  Karl- 
sefne was  accompanied  by  his  wife,  took  with  him  various 
kinds  of  animals,  crossed  over  to  settle  Vinland  and  arrived 
in  safety  near  Leif's  tents,  which  he  had  received  for  a  loan; 
there  he  found  stranded  on  the  coast  a  whale,  of  the  species 
called  Reid,  and  considered  one  of  the  largest  (being  loo  and 
sometimes  even  130  cubits  long).  This  was  a  matter  of  much 
importance  for  their  household  stock;  but  the  small  and  large 
cattle,  and  among  them  a  fine  bull,  having  found  rich  pasture, 
began  to  thrive  greatly.  Then  Karlsefne  ordered  trees  to 
be  cut  down  and  polished,  and  then  to  be  placed  on  the  rocks 


VI N  LAND. 


86 


and  dried.     And  they  harvested  all  the  products  of  the  earth 
and  sea,  now  gathering  grapes  and  again  fishing;  (I  am  less 
convinced  of  what  Bjorn  of  Skarzda,  a  distinguished  Iceland- 
ish  historian,  inserted  into  his  history,  and  which  was  no  doubt 
copied  from  an  ancient  manuscript,  that  wheat  grew  there.) 
When  the  first  winter  was  past  and  the  summer  had  come, 
they  saw  the  dwarfs,  whom  they  called  Skraelings,  rushing 
in  great  numbers  from  the  woods,  not  far  from  the  place 
where  the  bull  was  grazing  with  the  cows;  frightened  at  his 
dreadful  lowing  the  Skraelings  turned  to  the  house  of  Karl- 
sefne,  with  their  packs,  which  were  filled  with  various  kinds 
of  furs,  especially     f  the    able  and  of  white  mice.      When 
they  were  about  t*   jnter  at  once  by  the  door,  they  were  Jcept 
back  by  the  order ,  of  the  owner,  who  differed  from  them  not 
only  in  bodily  appearance,  but  also  in  language;  neverthe- 
less, putting  down  their  packs,  they  exposed  their  goods  for 
sale,  wishing  to  exchange  them  for  arms,  which  Karlsefne 
forbade  as  dangerous  to  himself  and  his  men ;  instead  of 
them  he  commanded  the  women  to  offer  them  food  and  re- 
freshments, prepared  from  milk;  having  tasted  these,  they  de- 
sired only  them  and  nothing  else  and  bartering  food  for  their 
merchandise,  they  departed,  gorged  with  food.     Meanwhile 
Karlsefne  repeatedly  fortified  his  wooden  structures.    But  in 
the  beginning  of  winter  when  his  wife  had  brought  forth  his 
son  Snorre,  the  Skraelings  returned  in  much  greater  num- 
bers than  before,  provided  as  on  the  former  occasion  with 
wallets;  again  milk  preparations  were  given  them  and  paid 
for  with  packs  thrown  over  the  fences.     Perchance  Gudrid, 
who  was  seated  in  the  house  near  the  infant's  cradle,  remark- 
ed a  shadow  in  the  entrance:  then  a  woman  attired  in  a  great 
black  cloak,  her  head  covered  with  linen,  dark  haired,  pale 
faced,  and  with  eyes  of  unusual  size,  too  large  for  one  head, 
entered  and  approaching   addressed  her  in  these   words' 
"What  is  your  name.?"      Having  given  it  and  asked  the 
woman's  name  in  return,  she  learned  that  she  too  was  named 
Gudrid:  but  when  she  invited  her  to  be  seated,  a  great  sound 
and  noise  was  heard  outside,  for  one  of  Karlsefne's  servants 
killed  one  of  the  Skraelings,  who  was  about  to  steal  some 


'It*  I 


■■K 


m 


,     '^1 


n% 


T^ 


30 


HLSTORV  OF 


! 


1 1 


arms,  and  immediately  the  woman,  who  had  been  seen  by 
Oudnd  alone  and  by  no  one  else,  disappeared.     The  Skrae- 
lings  also,  betaking  themselves  to  flight,  left  behind  them 
their  wares  and  their  garments.      But  Karlsefne,  thinking 
that  they  would  return  in  greater  numbers,  to  avenge  the 
death  of  their  countryman,  sent  all  his  men  to  clear  the 
intenor  of  the  woods,  that  the  cattle  might  the  more  readily 
be  concealed  there,  and  he  ordered  ten  men  to  show  them- 
selves on  the  headland,  to  entice  the  Skraelings  more  easily; 
for  the  battle-field  he  selected  a  spot  between  the  wood  and 
the  water,  lest  his  force  be  surrounded  by  numbers:  the  bull 
was  placed  before  the  line  of  battle.     Nor  was  he  mistaken; 
for  the  Skraelings  flocked  thither  in  great  number,-,  to  their 
marked  loss,  for  many  were  slain  in  the  conflict.     The  bull 
too  which  was  strange  to  them,  greatly  frightened  them  by 
his  lowing,  which  was  unpleasant  to  their  ears.    Among  them 
one  man,  handsome  in  build,  taller  than  the  rest,  was  con- 
spicuous and  seemed  to  be  the  chief.     When  perchance  one 
of  the  Skraelings,  after  seizing  an  axe  that  was  lying  by  and 
looking  at  it  for  a  while  struck  it  into  the  head  of  a  comrade 
and  killed  him  by  the  blow,  the  tall  man  seeing  this  took  it 
into  his  hands  and  examining  it  for  a  short  time  hurled  it 
very  far  into  the  sea,  seemingly  detesting  the  iron  that  was 
forged  to  slay  men.    Immediately  thereafter,  all  fleeing  in 
disorder  hid  in  the  woods;  but  Karlsefne  after  passing  the 
winter,  the  next  spring  loaded  his  ship  with  vines  and  other 
products  that    grew    there,  and  returning    to    Greenland, 
reached  the  bay  of  Ericsfjord  and  wintered  there. 


i 


VINLAND. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


il 


'! 


OF    THE    FOURTH    EXPEDITION    TO  VINLAND  UNDER   THE    LEADER- 
SHIP OF  THORVARD,  THE  HUSBAND  OF  FREYDiS,  AND  TWO 
ICELANDERS,  HELGE  AND  FIMBOG,  OF  THE  INHUMAN 
CRUELTY  OF  FREYDIS  AND  OF  KARLSEFNE's  RE 
TURN    TO    ICELAND,    AND    OF    HIS   DE- 
SCENDANTS. 


In  the  very  summer  that  Karlsefne  returned  to  Green- 
land, two  brothers,  born  in  the  eastern  district  of  Iceland, 
landed  there  from  Norway  and  wintered  there.    Meantime 
Freydis,  the  daughter  of  Eric  the  Red,  (a  bastard  according 
to  Bjom  of  Skardza),  considering  at  Gardar  the  plan  of  re- 
visiting Vinland  in  the  following  spring,  went  to  them  and 
invited  them  to  join  her  in  partnership ;   this  was  agreed 
upon  with  a  fixed  apportionment  of  gain  and  loss,  the  con- 
dition  being  added  that  the  members  of  both  parties  should 
be   equal   and   consist   of   thirty  men   only,   fit   for   bear- 
ing  arms,   besides   the   women.      Then   she,   having   bor- 
rowed her  brother  Leifs  tents,  immediately  broke  the  agree- 
ment about  the  number  of  the  sailors,  embarked  five  more 
men  on  her  ship  and  concealed  them  until  they  had  reached 
Vinland.      The  brothers,  who  had  reached  Vinland  a  little 
sooner,  were  bringing  their  effects  into  Leifs  tent,  which 
she  on  her  arrival  indignantly  declared  to  be  against  the 
agreement,  because  it  (the  tent)  had  been  loaned  to  her,  not 
to  them.      They  retorted  that,  an  agreement  having  been 
made  for  the  common  advantage,  they  had  supposed  that  the 
use  of  the  tent  also  was  common;  nevertheless  they  declared 
that  they  would  give  way  to  her  frenzy;  for  that  they  would 
not  contend  with  her  malice;  and  taking  away  their  effects, 
they  built  another  house  on  the  shore.      Now  she  ordered 
trees  to  be  cut,  vines  perhaps  (for  so  they  are  called  in  the 
account  of  the  departure),  with  which  she  intended  to  load 
the  ship.    At  the  approach  of  winter  the  customary  games 
were  begun,  but  quarrels  arising  the  games  did  not  last  long, 


I'.  ,<  rf 


^  i^^^^H 

.^^^H 

:^l^^l 

vH 


t 


.'iN 


HISTORY  Ol- 


m::>- 


i 


i  il  f  ■ 


?i 


all  intercourse  between  the  brothers  and  Freydis  and  her 
sailofs,  being  for  a  long  time  broken  off.     On  a  certain  morn- 
ing Freydis,  rising  from  bed  without  shoes,  having  put  on 
only  her  husband's  over-garment  and  having  walked  unac- 
companied  to  the    brothers'  tents  over    the    dew-covered 
ground,  stood  silent  for  a  while  in  the  doorway, which  a  sailor 
who  had  just  gone  out  had  opened;  when  Fimbog,  who  alone 
was  awake,  remarked  this,  he  asked  what  was  the  matter. 
She  called  him  out  to  a  private  conference  and  led  him  to  a 
block  of  wood  placed  at  the  side  of  the  tent  for  use  as  a  bench 
and  there  they  sat  down.     Then  in  answer  to  her  question, 
how  he  was  pleased  there,  he  replied  that  he  liked  the  land 
very  well,  but  that  their  quarrels  without  any  previous  cause 
displeased  him  greatly;  when  she  had  declared  that  she  too 
was  displeased  for  the  same  reasoii,  she  stated  the  cause  of 
her  coming:  for  as  she  intended  to  return  to  Greenland,  she 
said,  she  wished  to  exchange  her  ship  for  his  as  being  larger, 
and  he  promised  to  give  it  to  her,  to  please  her.     After  this 
conversation  they  parted,  Fimbog  returning  to  his  bed,  she 
to  her  husband's.     When  the  latter  felt  her  feet,  chill  with 
cold  and  dripping  with  moisture,  he  asked  the  reason.    She, 
seething  with  grief  and  rage,  mingled  reproaches  with  wail- 
ing,  complaining  that  having  gone  out  to  the  brothers'  tents 
and  asked  for  an  exchange  of  ships,  she  had   been  over- 
whelmed with  blows  and  covered  with  lashes,  and  saying  that 
on  account  of  his  listlessness  she  would  be  exposed  to  the  in- 
sults of  all  in  the  future,  for  that  he  had  not  the  spirit  to 
avenge  her;  therefore  she  had  good  reason  to  be  homesick 
after  her  own  country,  where  owing  to  the  protection  of  her 
own  family,  she  had  always  been  and  would  thereafter  be  free 
from  every  insult  and  safe;  moreover  she  threatened  that  if 
he  delayed  avenging  this  most  foul  insult,  she  would  dissolve 
her  marriage  with  him.     Having  embittered  her  husband  by 
these  and  similar  words,  she  suddenly  stirred  him  up  to  call 
out  all  his  men  forthwith  to  take  arms;  entering  the  huts  of 
the  other  party  who  were  asleep,  they  bound  them,  led  them 
forth,  and  beheaded  them.    All  the  men  being  slain,  when 
the  women  only  (they  were  five  in  number)  remained  and  no 


i'M   I 


VINLAND. 


3f»< 


one  wished  to  slay  them,  she  herself  demanded  an  axe  and 
killed  them  all  with  her  own  hand.     Whilst  all  loathed  her 
deed,  she  appeared  as  if  triumphing  over  some  exploit.threat- 
ened  them  one  by  one  with  death,  if  they  made  the  matter 
known  in  Greenland,  and  ordered  them  to  say,  that  the  men 
who  had  been  slain,were  living  in  Vinland.    On  the  approach 
()<"  spring,  she  loaded  the  ship  of  which  she  had  robbed  the 
brothers  with  the  products  of  Vinland  and  prepared  it  for  her 
return  to  Greenland ;   they  arrived  there  in  the  beginning 
of  summer,  while  Karlsefne,  in  the  bay  of  Eriksfiord,  was 
waiting  for  favorable  winds  with  a  well  equipped  ship,  the 
best  that  had  left  Greenland  up  to  that  time.     But  when  she 
(Freydis)  felt  that  the  murders  could  not  be  kept  hidden  by 
fear  and  threats  only,  she  generously  divided  the  booty 
among  her  companions,  and  moreover  bribed  every  one  of 
them  with  gifts,  because,  besides  the  shame  of  their  infamous 
gains  and  the  fear  of  punishment,  for  they  had  all  a  share  in 
the  crime,  the  obligation  incurred  by  acceptmg  her  gifts 
would  more  efficiently  pre-ent  their  making  known  her  mis- 
deeds.   Trusting  to  these  wily  expedients,  she  staid  at  home 
secure  and  quite  wealthy,  with  her  husband,  Thorvard  by 
name,  who  was  subject  to  her  orders.     But  not  even  so  could 
the  dreadful  crime  be  kept  concealed,  without  its  being  made 
known  to  her  brother  Leif,  by  the  very  men  who  had  obeyed 
her  in  perpetrating  it ;   he  having  examined  three  of  them 
drew  out  the  truth,  and  cursing  his  sister,  declared  that, 
though  he  did  not  wish  to  put  her  to  death,  he  prophesied 
that  her  offspring  would  be  unlucky.     Thereafter  Freydis, 
hated  by  all  as  long  as  she  lived,  passed  a  life  infamous  and 
devoid  of  all  respect.    Karlsefne,  having  weighed  anchor  with 
his  wife  Gudrid  after  a  prosperous  voyage  reached  Norway, 
plentifully  provided  with  means;  he  was  greatly  honored  by 
the  chief  men  of  that  country  and  passed  the  winter  there. 
But  when  his  ship  lay  in  port  ready  to  sail  to  Iceland,  a  cer- 
tain man  of  Bremen  offered  to  buy  its  cornice  (it  is  called 
husasnotra)  for  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  gold:  when  he  had 
sold  it,  he  saw  that  it  was  made  of  the  wood  called  mausr, 
previously  unknown  to  him,  although  brought  from  Vinland! 


,3 


■  i 


!  k '  '•■Hi 


40 


HISTORY  OK 


!*r     *, 


(Arngrim  thinks  that  the  wood  was  the  makhoi.i  kkbaum,  or 
butcher's  broom,  (meusdorn)  which,  when  used  as  a  binding 
keeps  oiT  the  mice,  how  correctly  I  know  not;  that  this  kind 
of  wood  was  very  precious  appears  from  the  life  of  Harold 
the  Haughty.who  presented  a  drinkin^j  bowl  (of  this  wood)  as 
a  magnificent  gift  to  Thorer  of  Steige  who  called  it  the  Royal 
Cup.    When  he  had  afterwards  arrived  at  the  bay  in  Eastern 
Greenland  called  Skagafjord,  and  there  passed  the  winter  he 
bought  the  estate  of  Glaumba,  and  erected  a  building  that 
was  magnificent  considering  the  place,  and  dwelt  there  :  as 
long  as  he  lived  he  was  respected  among  the  foremost  men, 
and  from  him  thereafter  sprang  a  famous  line.      After  his 
death  his  wife,  after  long  presiding  over  the  house,  with  her 
son  Snorre,  born  in  Vinland,  went  to  Rome.     On  her  return 
thence  she  learned  that  he,  (Snorre)  had  built  a  church  at 
home.     Free  from  worldly  cares  henceforth,  she  devoted  her- 
self to  God,  having  become  a  nun,  and  to  the  end  of  her  life 
worked  for  holier  ends.    Snorre's  son  Thorgeir  was  the  father 
of  Ingveld.  the  mother  of  Bishop  Brand,  and  Snorre's  daugh- 
ter Hallfrid  was  the  mother  of  Runoff,  the  father  of  Bishop 
Thorlak.    Snorre's  own-brother  was  Bjorn,  the  father  of  Tho- 
runa,  who  begot  Bishop  Bjarne.     Now  what  has  been  here 
related,  as  the  Cod.  Flat,  page  288,  declares,  was  copied  down 
from  the  lips  of  Karlsefne.     But  it  differs  greatly  from  the 
story  followed  by  Bjorn  of  Skardza,  although  the  latter  is 
redolent  of  the  spirit  of  antiquity,  and  interspersed  with  very 
ancient  verses,  which  Hauk,  the  judge  (lagmare,  nomophv  lax) 
collected:   he  flourished  in  1406;  it  will  be  worth  while  to 
give  a  summary  of  this  version. 


VINLAND.  41 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

OK    IKIK's  journey  to    NORWAY  TO  KING  OI.AF   TRYGGVF.SON;   OF 

HIS  DISCOVERY  OF  VINLAND  ON  HIS  RETURN,  AND  OF  HIS 

SUCCESSFUL    PREACHING    OF    THE    CHRISTIAN 

RELIGION    IN    HIS   NATIVE   COUNTRY. 

He,  Uauk,  calls  the  wife  of  Eric  the  Red  Thorhilde,  and 
their  sons  Thorstein  and  Leif,  uncommon  men,  of  whom  the 
former  always  remained  with  his  father;  and  never  was  there 
in  (Greenland  any  man  who  excelled  him  in  endowments  of 
mind  and  body.      Leif,  on  the  contrary,  he  tells  us,  sailed 
away  from  Greenland,  and  first  came  to  the  Hebrides;  there, 
having  tarried  a  long  time  in  summer,  he  kept  company  with 
Thorgunna,  a  woman  of  noble  descent,  but  skilled  in  occult 
arts,  or  rather  a  sorceress.    When  she  wished  to  accompany 
him,  as   he   was  leaving,   Leif  is  reported  to  have  asked 
whether  this  could  be  done  with  the  consent  of  her  relatives. 
She  replied  that  she  did  not  care  for  this;  whereupon  he  re- 
plied, that  with  so  small  a  retinue,  he  .uuld  not  carry  off  so 
noble  a  lady.     She  declared  that  ;.tie  was  pregnant  by  him 
and  would  undoubtedly  give  birth  to  a  son,  whom  she  pro- 
mised or  threatened  to  send  to  him,  as  soon  as  his  years 
would  permit,  saying  that  she  would  follow  herself;  moreover 
she  foretold,  that  this  son  would  one  day  be  no  more  useful 
to  him,  than  his  departure  at  that  time  was  agreeable  to  her. 
And  Leif  departing  presented  her  a  finger-ring  as  well  as  a 
cloak  of  Greenland  stuff,  and  a  belt  adorned  with  animal's 
teeth.      That   boy,   called   Thorgils,   subsequently   came    to 
Greenland  and  Leif  recognized  him  as  his  son.     He  is  also 
said  to  have  come  to  Iceland  in  the  summer,  which  preceded 
the  prodigies  of  Froda  (which  cannot  at  all  be  correct,  for 
these,  according  to  the  Eyrbyggva  Saga,  fall  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand,  which  is  the  year  in  which  the  boy 
was  born.)     Having  thereafter  lived  in  Greenland,  he  is  said 
before  his  death,  to  have  seemingly  performed  some  prod- 
igy.    What  thi.s  was.  I  find  nowhere  expl.iined  m-'-rc  in  full. 


*  I 


I.>" 


4S 


HISTORY  OF 


fit   i    .•:. 


Leif  sailing  in  autumn  from  the  Hebrides  to  Norway  was- 
held  in  high  honor  by  King  Olaf  Tryggveson,  and  was  com- 
missioned  by  him  to  plant  the  Christian  Religion  in  his  native 
country  in  the  following  summer ;  for  Leif  is  said  to  have 
been  regarded  by  the  King  as  a  remarkable  and  a  lucky  man 
On  that  voyage,  going  astray  for  a  long  time  from  the  right 
course,  he  is  said  to  have  come  upon  unknown  lands  in  a 
situation  where  no  one  before  had  suspected  that  there  was 
land.      The  soil  spontaneously  produced  wheat ;   vines  also 
grew  there  as  well  as  the  trees  called  mausr:  now  those  trees 
are  said  to  have  been  so  large,  that  timbers  fit  for  house- 
building were  taken  from  them.     On  that  voyage,  it  is  re- 
lated, he  rescued  a  shipwrecked  man,  and  on  his  return  he 
made  known  the  Christian  Religion  and  exhibited  letters  of 
King  Olaf,  sure  proofs  of  his  royal  will,  and  published  the 
glories  of  the  new  faith  in,  many  words.     His  father,  (Eric 
the  Red)  refused  to  embrace  it,  but  his  (Eric's)  wife  Thor- 
hilde  immediately  accepted  it  and  had  a  church  built,  where 
she  with  those  who  were  converted,  devoted  herself  to  prayer 
Afterward    that    church    was    called    Thorhilde's    Church" 
Having  become  a  Christian  she  separated  from  her  husband's 
bed  and  board,  at  which  the  latter  was  vexed.    In  the  follow- 
ing winter  Leif  converted  fifty  Reppas  or  villages  to  Christ: 
Bjorn  of  Skardza  relates  that  this  event  took  place  in  the 
eastern  district  of  the  country. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OF  THE    FRUITLESS   ATVEMPT   OF  LEIF's    BROTHER    THORSTKIN    TO 

EXPLORE  VINLAND;   OF  HIS  RETURN  TO  GREENLAND;   OF 

HIS  MARRIAGE  WITH    THORBJORN's   DAUGHTER  ' 

GUDRID,  OF  HER  EDUCATION  AND  AN- 

CESTORS   IN    ICELAND. 

.ir.  f  ^'^^7^^«f  ^e^^l  Greenlanders  were  seized  by  the  de- 
sire to  explore  the  country  found  by  Leif.  the  chief  of  whom 


VINLAND. 


43 


was  Tho'-stein  Ericson,  a  wise  and  popular  man.     However 
the  eyes  of  all  were  turned  to  Eric  to  be  the  leader  of  the  expe- 
dition, for  he  was  a  lucky  man  as  his  discovery  of  Greenland 
proved  and  moreover  distinguished  by  his  experience  :  after 
long  refusing  he  finally  yielded  to  the  requests  of  his  friends. 
The  ship  of  Thorbjorn  Vifillson,  (of  whom  more  hereafter) 
was  selected  for  the  purpose  and  fitted  out  with  twenty  sailors 
and  scant  provisions.    Early  on  a  certain  morning  Eric  rode 
away  from  home  and  first  hid  a  box  full  of  gold  and  silver; 
but  on  his  way  he  fell  from  his  horse,  broke  two  ribs  and 
severely  injured  his  arm  where  it  joined  the  shoulder.     He 
therefore  bade  his  wife  Thorhilde  to  raise  the  hidden  treasure, 
for  he  owned  that  he  had  met  with  the  accident  as  a  punish- 
ment for  hiding  it.     Then  they  sailed  from  Ericsfjord  amid 
great  joy;  but  for  a  long  time  and  wearily  they  strayed  from 
their  course,  for  they  had  Iceland  in  sight  and  also  saw  Irish 
birds;  after  being  driven  across  the  ocean  they  again  arrived 
at  the  bay  of  Ericsfjord  towards  winter,  and  all  the  sailors, 
who  had  no  homes,  were  liberally  supported  by  Eric  the  Red 
during  winter.      In  the  same  winter  Thorstein,  the  son  of 
Eric  the  Red,  with  the  consent  of  his  father  married  Gudrid, 
the  daughter  of  Thorbjorn  Vifillson:  of  her  parents  and  her 
education  as  a  girl  a  short  account  must  be  given.    Vifill,  the 
father  of  this  Thorbjorn,  was  one  of  the  companions  of 
Queen  Audr,  an  immensely  rich  woman,  the  mother  of  Thor- 
stein the  Red,  and  in  fact  Vifill  was  sold  into  slavery  among 
the  Irish  captives  before  Audr  restored  him  to  freedom. 
But  when  she  divided  estates  among  her  nautical  followers 
and  had  passed  him  by,  he  is  said  to  have  asked  why  she  did 
so;  but  she  answered  that  it  did  not  matter,  for  that  wherever 
he  would  be,  he  would  be  a  great  man.    However  she  gave 
him  a  valley  called  after  his  name  Vifilsdal,  where  he  after- 
wards dwelt  to  the  end  of  his  life.     His  sons  were  Thorgeir 
and  Thorbjorn;   they  married  the  daughters  of   Einar  of 
Laugabrekka,  the  son  of  Sigmund,  the  g  -andson  of  Ketil, 
Thistel,  who  gave  his  name  to  a  bay,  (Thistilsfjord) :  the 
former  married  Arnora,  the  latter  Hallveiga,  by  whom  Thor- 
bjorn begat  the  above-mentioned  Gudrid,  of  whom  we  are 


.'  'M 

^tm 

.'"h 


■ppf 


44 


HISTORY  OF 


*;! :  -m 


speaking,  a  maiden  of  wonderful  beauty;  her  Orm,  a  wealthy 
man,  of  the  estate  of   Arnestap,  in  the  western  quarter  of 
Iceland,  and  his  wife  Halldise  brought  up.     Her  hand  was 
refused  to  a  certain  Einar,  in  spite  of  his  wealth,  which  he 
had  made  by  trading,  merely  because  he  was  born  of  a  freed- 
man,  though   the  girl's   father  Thorbjorn,  greatly  needed 
means  to  support  the  expenses  of  his  family.  When  Thorbjorn 
saw  that  his  means  were  reduced,  and  his  family  could  not 
be  maintained  with  the  same  splendor  as  before,  he  preferred 
to  plough  the  soil  rather  than  give  up  his  accustomed  mag- 
nificence.    He  therefore  departed  to  Greenland  to  his  friend 
Eric  the  Red,  whom  he  had  helped  in  Iceland  with  money 
and  men.      For  when   Eric  left   Iceland  he  promised   his 
friends  that  he  would  not  fail  to  help  them  in  need,  if  the 
occasion  to  do  so  should  ever  present  itself.      With  thirty 
sailors  and  among  the  numt^er  Orm  and  his  wife  and  family, 
who  could  not  bear  to  desert  him,  Thorbjorn  left  his  country 
and  was  borne  to  Cape   Herjulfsnes,  and  there  hospitably 
received  and  generously  supported  with  all  his  sailors,  by  a 
wealthy  man,  the  foremost  of  the  place,  Thorkel  by  name. 
But  a  sickness  arose  on  the  voyage  and  spread  among  the 
sailors,  and  Orm,  as  well  as  his  wife,  was  carried  off  thereby. 


CHAPTER  X. 


OF  A  CERTAIN  PROPHETIC  WOMAN;    OF  HER  APPEARANCE  AND  OF 
HER   SKILL   IN    THE   MAGIC  (SEIDIc)  ART. 

At  that  time  a  dreadful  famine  afflicted  Greenland  and 
many  desired  to  know  how  long  it  would  last  and  hoped  that 
they  would  easily  find  this  out  during  the  winter  from 
a  certain  prophetic  woman,  Thorbjorg  by  name.  She  was 
wont  to  stop  in  that  country  with  those  who,  eager  to  know 
the  future  and  their  own  fortunes,  invited  her  to  stay  with 
thjm.  But  as  Thorkel  was  looked  upon  as  by  far  the  most 
prominent  man  of  the  district,  it  seemed  incumbent  on  him 


VINLANl). 


4ft 


to  take  this  burden  upon  himself  and  satisfy  the  wishes  of 
the  people.     Thorkel  therefore  invited  her  to  his  home,  and, 
as  usual,  treated  the  woman  with  respect;  she  was  the  sole 
survivor  of  nine  sisters,  all  prophetesses.     A  lofty  seat  on  a 
platform  was  prepared  for  her  and  a  pillow  ftlled  with  cock's 
feathers  placed  under  her;    the   appearance  of    the  wise 
woman  is  described  as  follows:  She  put  on  a  dark  blue  cloak 
tied  with  thongs  (they  call  them  tingla  mottul)  adorned 
down  to  its  lowest  border  with  little  stones;  around  her  neck 
hung  little  glass  balls ;   on  her  head  she  wore  drawn  up  a 
cowl  of  black  lambskins  and     hite  catskins;  in  her  hand  she 
carried  a  staff,  crowned  with  a  brass  globe  studded  with 
little  stones ;  she  wore  a  girdle  (Thomas  Barthol  translates 
"Hunlandicd"  according  to  the  words  of  the  copy,  which  he 
followed;   this  reads         .iskan  linda;  mine  reads  hniosku 
LINDA,  i.  e.  'dry  girdle  >'•  ,?one'  which  makes  no  sense:  I  con- 
jecture  that  it  should  be  written  hundskins  linda,  i.  e.,  'a 
dogskin  girdle,'  for  the  various  other  skins  suggest  this  selec- 
tion;) from  it  hung  an  immense  pouch,  in  which  were  stowed 
the  instruments  of  her  magic  art;  to  her  feet  she  attached 
shaggy  calfskin   shoes  with  long  latchets,  at   the   ends  of 
which  were  large  tin  balls :  on  her  hands  she  wore  catskin 
gloves,  shaggy  and  white  on   the   inside.      All  saluted  her 
respectfully,  but  she  received  their  greetings,  according  as 
she  favored  them.     Thorkel  having  taken  her  hand  led  her 
to  the  seat  prepared  for  her,  and  begged  her  to  look  at  his 
house,  family,  flocks  and  herds  with  care;  but  she  in  reply  to 
most  of  his  remarks  was  silent.     The  dishes  served  to  her 
were  porridge  of  goat's  milk,  and  the  hearts  of  all  the  kinds 
of  animals  that  were  found  there;  she  used  a  brass  spoon,  a 
knife  with  its  point  broken  off,  whose  handle  was  made  of 
whale's  teeth,  and  which  was  encircled  by  two  brass  bands. 
When  the  meal  was  ended,  the  tables  were  removed.     Thor- 
kel went  up  to  her,  asking  whether  she  had  had  an   open 
view,  how  she  was  pleased  with  the  house  and  the  ways  and 
dispositions  of  its  inmates,  and  how  soon  she  could  know, 
what  was  to  be  investigated.     She  answered  that  she  could 
give  no  reply,  till  she  had  .slept  there  a  night.    On  the  fol- 


'■■■li! 


-3: 


'i:'  ■  ■- 


M 


ill  < 

1; 


iiil 


46 


HIvSTORY  OF 


lowing  afternoon,  all  things  necessary  for  magic  (seidic)  in- 
cantations were  furnii  iied.     But  first  of  all  she  asked  for 
women,  who  knew  a  song  called  Vardlokr,  which  was  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  practice  the  Seidic  art;  but  no  one  was 
found  that  knew  it.     Then  Gudrid,  Thorbjorn's  daughter, 
answered:   "I  am  not  a  sorceress  and  know  nothing  of  the 
magic  art;  however  Halldise,  my  teacher  in  Iceland  taught 
me  a  song  called  Varulokr,"     "Indeed"  said  Thorkel,  "you 
are  blessed   for  your  knowledge."      Then  Gudrid  replied: 
"Magic  is  the  only  thing  I  will  in  no  wise  abet ;   for  I  am  a 
Christian."    From  this  remark,  compared  with  what  has  been 
said  above,  it  follows  that  Vinland  was  discovered  after  the 
year  looo.     But  the  wise  woman  suggested  that  she  could 
oblige  her  friends  without  offense  to  her  religion.    Overcome 
by  this  temptation  of  Satan,  the  tender  maiden  sang  a  magic- 
al song  with  a  sweet  melody  to  the  admiration  of  all:  mean- 
while the  women  stood  around  the  platform  on  which  the 
sorceress  sat.    The  song  being  ended  the  sorceress  thanked 
Gudrid,  saying  that  many  and  various  spirits,  who  were  be- 
fore about  to  leave  and  refused  to  obey  her,  allured  by  the 
song  and  the  sweet  notes  of  the  songstress  had  approached, 
and  that  many  things  that  were  before  concealed,  had  become 
manifest  to  her.      She  foretold  to  Thorkel  that  the  corn 
famine  would  not  last  beyond  winter  and  that  it  would  be 
relieved  when  the  weather  would  grow  mild,  that  the  dis- 
ease which  had  thus  far  harrassed  them  would  cease  faster 
than  they  thought ;  that  she  would  recompense  Gudrid  for 
the  aid  given  her,  that  she  (Gudrid)  would  soon  marry  the 
greatest  man  in  Greenland,  that  the  marriage  would  not  last 
long  however,  as  the  fates  recalled  her  to  Iceland,  that  there 
a  great  and  distinguished  offspring  would  be  born  of  her, 
which  was  illumined  by  brighter  rays  than  she  could  bear  to 
look  upon;  having  then  saluted  Gudrid  in  a  friendly  way  she 
dismissed  her.     Afterwards  persons,  who  wished  to  know 
certain  matters,  consulted  her,  each  for  himself;    and  she, 
freely  answering  the  questions,  unravelled  what  she  was 
asked.    Then  she  was  called  by  messengers  to  other  estates: 
on  her  departure,Thorbjorn,Gudrid's  father,  who  had  refused 


i;-^- 


VINLAND.  47 

to  be  present  at  the  impious  ceremonies  and  the  magic  rite 
and  had  gone  to  another  estate,  was  recalled.     The  words  of 
the  witch  were  verified  in  every  respect,  for  both  the  famine 
and  the  death  ceased  on  the  approach  of  spring,  as  well  as 
the  plague  that  had  begun  with  Thorbjorn's  sailors     Thor- 
bjorn,  therefore,  taking  his  vessel  from  Cape  Herjulfsnes 
came  to  the  bay  of  Ericsfjord  and  when  his  arrival  had  been 
celebrated  with  great  joy  by  Eric,  was  entertained  hospitably 
with  all  his  family  during  all  the  winter  or  rather  during  the 
rest  of  the  winter,  (for  the  ancients  reckoned  the  early  part 
of  spring  as  winter);  but  the  following  spring  Eric  pointed 
out  to  Thorbjorn  some  land  in  Stockanes,  where  he  built 
quite  a  roomy  house  and  laid  out  a  magnificent  estate,  where 
he  dwelt  as  long  as  he  lived.     Then  Thorstein,  the  son  of 
Eric  the  Red,  married  Gudrid  with  Thorbjorn's  consent;  the 
Codex  Flateyensis  says,  that  she  married  Thorstein,  as  a 
widow,  having  previously  been  married  to  Thorer  whom 
Leif  saved  when  shipwrecked.    The  nuptials  were  celebrated 
with  great  pomp  at  Brattahlide,  during  Eric's  lifetime,  con- 
trary  to  the  report  of  the  Codex  Flateyensis. 


!1 


''-v.m 


'h.9m 


CHAPTER  XI. 


OF    THE    INFECTIOUS    DISEASE    THAT    AROSE    AMONG    THORSTEIN's 
crew;   of  his  death  and  a  prodigy,  and  of  the  AN- 
CIENT MODE  OF   BURIAL  IN  GREENLAND;    OF  THE 
ARRIVAL     OF     KARLSEFNE     AND     HIS 
MARRIAGE     TO     GUDRID. 

The  half  of  the  estate  called  Lisufjord  (I  should  prefer 
to  read  "of  a  certain  estate  in  Lisufjord")  Thorstein  owned, 
the  other  half  a  namesake,  who  had  also  a  wife,  named 
Sigrid  (Grimhild  in  the  Cod.  Flat.)  Thither  Thorstein,  the 
son  of  Eric  the  Red,  betook  himself  with  his  wife,  at  the 
beginning  of  autumn,  and  there  he  passed  the  winter ;  but 
an  infectious  disease  invaded  the  entire  house.    A  steward 


ll 


p 


■■ 


I 

'11:. 


f 

1 

If  4 

1 

1 5;;:.; 

If 


48 


HISTORY  OF 


named  Gard,  a  man  disliked  by  many,  fell  a  victim  and  then 
the   rest,  and   finally  the   plague  seized  Thorstein   Ericson 
also,  and  Sigrid  the  other  Thorstein's  wife,  and  they  lay  ill 
at  the  same  time.     But  Sigrid,  who  was  ailing,  accompanied 
by    Thorstein    Ericson's    wife    one    evening    retired    to    a 
privy  where,   the  ailment   increasing  in   violence,  she  was 
unable  to  repress  her  wails.     Having  heard  her  wails.Gudrid 
regretted  that  they  had  gone  too  far  to  be  heard, when  crying 
for  help,  and  urged  her  to  return  in  haste  ;  Sigrid  answered 
that  she  was  stopped  by  ghosts,  that  were  standing  at  the 
door  and  that  among  the  number  she  recognized  herself  and 
Gudrid's  husband  Thorstein.      After   a   while  she   advised 
that  they  return,  for  the  ghosts  had  vanished;  but  she  said 
that  she  saw  Thorstein  holding  a  scourge,  about  to  lash  the 
rest.    After  they  had  returned  home,  she  died  the  same  night 
and  a  coffin  was  prepared  tp  bury  her  corpse.     But  as  her 
husband  Thorstein  had  taken  some  oarsmen  to  t!  ^  harbor, 
who  were  about  to  go  on  a  fishing  expedition,  he  was  hastily 
recalled  by  a  messenger  from  the  sick  Thorstein,  who  feared 
danger  from  his  (the  other  Thorstein's)  wife  Sigrid,  lately 
deceased;  she  had  risen  from  the  dead  and  harassing  him 
seemed  to  be  about  to  get  under  his  bed-clothes.    Thorstein 
(Sigrid's  husband)  returned,  and  finding  that  she  had  entered 
Thorstein's  bed  buried  a  large  axe  in  her  breast.     But  Thor- 
stein Ericson  died  towards  nightfall.     But  when  night  had 
worn  on  a  little,  he  raised  himself  and  bade  his  wife  Gudrid 
be  called,  declaring  that  this  hour  was  allowed  him  by  God 
to  settle  his  affairs.      The  host,  therefore,  roused  her  from 
sleep,  made  known  to  her  her  husband's  commands,  and  said, 
he  did  not  know  what  to  advise  her  in  the  matter. '  But  she 
answered  that  this  prodigy  would  be  memorable  that  trust- 
ing to  the  Divine  Mercy,  which  had  always  been  kind  to  her, 
she  would  go  to  her  husband  and  learn  what  he  had  to  say- 
for,  if  any  danger  threatened,  she  would  not  escape  it,  nor 
would  she  be  the  cause  why  her  deceased  husband  should 
wander  about  after  death ;   that  there  was  great  reason  to 
fear  that  this  might  happen,  if  she  proved  faithless  to  him 
On  approaching  the  dead  man,  it  seemed  to  her,  she  saw  him 


VINLAND. 


40 


pouring  f(,rth  tears;  afterwards  he  whispered  some  words  in 
her  ear  privately,  Icnown  to  her  alone.    But  in  public  he  spoke 
as  follows :  Blessed  are  they  who  embrace  the  Christian  re- 
ligion, for  It  is  based  on  Divine  grace  and  mercy:  few  how- 
ever  religiously  observe  it;  moreover,  from  the  very  estab- 
ishment  of  religion  in  Greenland,  the  dead  have  been  sinfully 
buried  in  unconsecrated  ground,  the  funeral    rites   being 
scantily  celebrated.     He,  so  he  continued,  wished  to  be  car 
ned  to  church  with  the  others  who  Lad  died  there,  except 
Gard  alone,  because  he  had  troubled  those  who  had  died  thus 
far  during  the  winter.     That  man,  he  warned  them,  ought 
to  be  burned  as  soon  as  possible  in  the  avenging  flames, 
rhen  he  foretold  some  of  his  wife's  future  destinies  and  bade 
her  to  beware  of  marrying  any  Grcenlander  and  to  give  her 
money  to  the  Church,  and  partly  also  to  the  poor.     Having 
said  this  he  again  fell  asleep.    A  similar  story  is  told  in  the 
seventh  book  of  "Chronicles"  by   Dithmar  of  Merseburg 
It  was  customary  in  Greenland,  and  in  other  half-christian 
or  even  uncivilized  lands  that  were  visited  by  ships,  to  bury 
the  dead  in  unconsecrated  ground,  to  place  sticks  over  their 
breasts  for  the  purpose  of  marking  the  grave  of  the  buried 
man;  after  a  lapse  of  time,  however  long,  the  priest  pulled 
out  the  sticks,  poured  some  water  into  the  hole  by  way  of 
lustration  and  performed  burial  songs.    Thorstein  was  car- 
ned  to  the  church  along  with  the  other  dead.    But  Gudrid 
went  to  her  husband's  father,  Eric  the  Red,  who  treated  her 
as  a  daughter.    Shortly  after  her  father  Thorbjorn  of  Stock- 
anes  died;  as  she  was  his  sole  heir,  Eric  took  upon  himself 
the  whole  care  of  her  patrimony  and  administered  it  faith- 
tully.     At  the  same  time  two  ships  from  Iceland  came  to  the 
bay  of  Encsfjord  :    the  one  was  commanded  by  Thorfinn 
Karisefne,  accompanied  by  Snorre  Thorbrandson,  of  the  es- 
tate  of  Skogastrand  on  Alftafjord  bay  in  Iceland,  and  forty 
sailors  ;   the  other  was  commanded  by  Bjame  Grimolfson 
ir'uu  ^''^'1''^  adjoining  Breidafjord   Bay,  together  with 
Ihorhall  Gamlason  from  the  eastern  part  of  the  island  and 
carried  as  many  sailors;  (the  Cod.  Flateyensis  says  that  Kari- 


f 


i 


■iifi 


i»y 


;: 


■m 


:'-i'ii 


came  from  Norway.)    Now  Eric  the  Red  setting 


out 


50 


HISTORY  OF 


with  several  natives  to  trade  with  these  was  received  kindly 
and  invited  to  take  as  a  gift  all  he  wished,  of  the  goods  for 
sale.     Unwilling  to  be  outdone  in  generosity,  he  invited  the 
entire  crews  of  both  shipS  to  his  house  to  pass  the  winter, 
and  they,  pleased  with  his  generous  hospitality,  took  all  their 
merchandise  thither:  and  they  found  buildings  large  enough 
to  receive  them  and  everything  was  furnished  generously. 
As  Christmas  approached,  Eric  grew  sad.     Karlsefne  re- 
marking this,  asked  the  cause  of  this  sudden  change,  prom- 
ising to  pay  liberally  for  what  Eric  had  with  great  generosity 
spent  on  them.    The  latter  replied  that  they  were  most  wel- 
come guests,  inasmuch  as  they  received  what  he  offered 
them  with  grateful  hearts;  but  that  he  was  not  disposed  to 
cause  loss  to  his  friends;    he  regretted  that  when   after 
leaving  him  they  would  come  to  other  lands,  they  might 
justly  complain,   that    nowhere   did    they  rembember    the 
Christmas  or  Yule  festival  to  have   been  celebrated  more 
scantily  than  at  Brattahlide,  in   Greenland  with  Eric  the 
Red.     Karlsefne  saw  that  this  trouble  could  be  easily  dis- 
pelled, for  he  had  corn  and  barley  in  plenty  to  furnish  the 
banquet  with  all  the  generosity  Eric  wished,  and  he  allowed 
Eric  to  bring  it  home.     Enc  did  this  and  nowhere  is  a  more 
splendid  festival  said  to  have  been  celebrated  in  a  poor 
country.    At  the  end  of  the  feast,  Karlsefne  spoke  to  Eric 
of  marrying  his  daughter-in-law  Gudrid,  for  he  was  her 
guardian,  and  easily  obtained  her  hand ;   the  wedding  was 
celebrated  with  great  splendor  at  Brattahlide,  and  there  the 
winter  was  passed.     And  this  is  the  story  of  Gudrid  and 
her  parents ;  let  us  return  to  Vinland. 


VINLAND. 


51 


CHAPTER  XII. 


OF   KARLSEFNE's  voyage   to   VINLAND    AND   OF    HIS   COMPANIONS 

ON    THAT    EXPEDITION,  VIZ:    BJARNE,  THORHALL    AND 

THORVARD,  THE   SON-IN-LAW  OF  ERIC    THE 

RED,  AND   eric's   SON  THORVALD. 

During  the  same  winter  the  conversation  often  turned 
upon  a  voyage  to  Vinland  (according  to  these  documents, 
however,  Leif  is  not  reported  to  have  given  it  this  name).    In 
the  beginning  of  spring   Karlsefne   and   Snorre   fitted  out 
their  ship  for  the  expedition;  Bjarne  and  Thorhall,  whom  we 
have  mentioned  before,  embarking  in  their  own  ship,  were 
taken  as  partners  in  the  undertaking.     A  third  ship  was 
commanded  by  Thorvard,  the  son-in-law  of  Eric  the   Red, 
who  had  married  his  illegitimate  daughter  Freydis,  and  by 
Eric's  son  Thorvald,  and  these  were  accompanied  by  Thor- 
hall surnamed  the  hunter.    This  man  tall  in  stature,  of  great 
strength,  gigantic  build  and  dark    complexion,  rudely  and 
sharply  spoken  and  of  gloomy  and  forbidding  appearance, 
had  long  followed  the  family  of  Eric  the  Red  and  spent  his 
summers  in  hunting  and  his  winters  as  steward.     This  man 
always  suggested  dark  plans  to  Eric,  for  he  was  careless  in 
practising  the  Christian  religion,  but  very  well  acquainted 
with  pathless  and  desert  places  and  solitudes.     One  hundred 
and  forty,  (but  as  has  been  often  said,  the  hundred  consisted 
of  twelve  tens)  sailors  took  part  in  this  expedition.      They 
sailed  in  the  first  place  to  the  western  part  of  inhabited 
Greenland,  thence  to  the  Bjarney  Islands,  for  a  night  and  a 
day  (Tvo  daegr),  thence  southwards,  till  land  came  in  sight. 
There  many  large  cliffs  projected  twelve  cubits  broad;  there 
was  also  a  large  number  of  foxes;    this  land   they  called 
Helluland.     Thence  they  sailed  for  a  day  and  night  toward 
the  southeast  by  east,  until  they  saw  a  wooded  land  abound- 
ing  in  animals;  southeast  by  south  of  this  main  land  lay  an 
island.    There  they  killed  a  bear  and  from  this  circumstance 
called  the  island   Rjarney  and  the  main  land   Markland : 


1/ 


m 


'M 


■•:  -H  , 


6S 


HISTORY  OF 


thence  they  sailed  southward  until   they  reached  a  certain 
headland;  there  the  hull  of  a  ship  was  found  and  the  cape 
was  therefore  called  Kjalarnes  and  they  named  the  shore 
FuRDUSTRAND,  or   wondcrful,  or  wonderfully  vast    strand. 
Then  the  land  was  indented  with  bays,  and  after  entering 
one  of  these  Karlsefne  sent  forth  a  man  and  woman  of  the 
Scotch  race,  so   swift    in  running  that    they  outran    wild 
animals;  these  King  Olaf  Tryggvason  had  presented  to  Leif 
when  departing.    The  man's  name  was  Hake,  the  woman's 
Hekja.     He  gave  them  a  night  and  two  days  to  explore  the 
land  and  ordered  them  to  start  southward;  at  the  appointed 
time  they  returned,  the  one  bearing  a  cluster  of  grapes,  the 
other  an  ear  of  wheat.    Their  garment,  called  Kiapal  which 
was  sleeveless  and  open  at  the  sides,  was  at  the  same  time  a 
covering  for  the  head,  and  a  clasp  fastened  it  between  the 
thighs.     Then  setting  sail  they  entered  another  bay,  near 
whose  entrance  lay  an  island,  surrounded  by  currents,  and 
thence  called  Straumsey:  there  they  wintered  and  landed 
their  cattle.     The  land  was  very  fertile  but  produced  neither 
vines  nor  grain.      Here  forgetting  the  things  necessary  to 
support  themselves  during  the  winter,  which  must  be  col- 
lected in  autumn,  they  occupied  themselves  in  exploring  the 
country.     But  in  the  island  there  was  so  great  a  number  of 
the  ducks,  whose  feathers  are  most  prized  and  which  are 
called  by  the  Norse  aerd  or  contracted  aer.  that  they  could 
hardly  walk  over  it  without  destroying  the  eggs.    But  winter 
coming  on  and    fishing  and    hunting  being  impossible,  a 
dearth  of  provisions  followed.      They  therefore  prayed'  to 
God;  but  when  their  prayers  were  not  heard  as  soon  as  they 
wished,  Thorhall  the  hunter  set  out;  after  seeking  him  two 
days  and  a  night,  they  at  last  found  him  lying  on  a  steep 
ridge,  with  mouth  wide  open  and  murmuring  something:  to 
their  questions,  what  he  was  doing  there,  he  made  no  reply 
however,  he  went  home  with  them.     Shortly  after  a  sea- 
monster  was  cast  on  the  shore,  but  no  one  knew  what  kind 
of  fish  it  was;  when  they  cooked  and  eat  it,  it  seemed  not  to 
agree  with  them.      Then  said  Thorhall,  the  Red  one  (he 
meant  Thor)  is  after  all  more  powerful  than  your  Christ,  for 


VINLAND. 


53 


with  this  did  he  reward  the  song  which  I  sang  in  his  honor; 
for  he  has  seldom  failed  me.  Having  learned  this,  they 
threw  the  fish  into  the  sea  and  committed  themselves  and  all 
they  had  to  God.  Soon  the  weather  grew  mild  and  the  sea 
now  quiet,  was  fit  for  fishing ;  thenceforth  they  had  enough 
of  food  by  land  and  sea,  for  there  was  also  abundance  of 
game. 


^j 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

OF  THORHALL   THE   HUNTER,  WHO  IS    DRIVEN  BY  STORMS    TO   IRE- 
LAND   AND    THERE    HELD   IN    BONDAGE   TO   THE   END   OF    HIS 
life;    of   the    further    exploration    of  VINLAND    BY 
KARLSEFNE    AND    HIS    COMPANIONS  ;    OF    THE    LAND 

AND  WATER  PRODUCTS  THERE  ;    OF    THE    DRESS 
OF  THE    SKRAELINGS    AND    THEIR    TRAFFIC,  AND    OF 
THE  DISPUTES  AND  WARS  THENCE  ARISING,  WHICH  HOW- 
EVER  END  IN    THE   SKRAELINGS  SUSTAINING    GREATKR    LOSS. 

Thorhall  the  hunter,  with  nine  sailors,  passing  Furdus- 
trand  with  ship  t.rned  northward,  sought  Vinland      Two 
pieces  of  verse  are  extant,  sung  by  him  whilst  he  brought 
water  into  the  ship,  which  have  the  true  flavor  of  antiquity 
and  in  fact  are  marked  by  the  genius  of  that  age.     Having 
doubled  Kialarnes  whilst  he  was  sailing  westward,  a  storm 
arising  from  the  west  drove  him  to  Ireland,  where  he  and 
his  men  passed  a  wretched  existence,  being  kept  in  cruel 
bondage,  until  they  were  punished  with  death  on  account  of 
their  hatred  of  Christianity  and  their  impiety.     This  story  is 
reported  to  have  been  brought  to  Iceland  by  merchants. 
But  Karlsefne  with  Snorre  and   Bjarne,  sailing  southward 
m  order  to  seek  in  the  opposite  direction,  after  a  long  voy- 
age came  to  a  place  where  a  river  rising  in  a  marsh  emptied 
mto  the  sea;  but  his  ship  could  not  enter  the  river,  because 
long  estuaries  intervened  and  the   tide  was  running  low- 
therefore  they  moored  her  at  the  mouth  of  the  stream;  there 
the  level  country  produced  wheat,  the  hills  native  vines-  all 
the  streams  were  full  of  fish,  which,  when  ditches  had  been 


.1  y  * 


M 


HISTORY  OF 


i!l^ 


dujf  to  the  vergo  of  the  sea,  so  as  to  receive  the  tide  water, 
were  carric'  into  these  and  cauyht  with  the  hands  whilst 
the  tide  lasted  or  receded;  this  kind  of  fish  they  called  sackku 
because  they  were  caught  without  labor,  I  fancy,     Many  and 
various  kind-  of  animals  wandered  over  the  fertile  meadows 
and  through  the  woods.      After  passing   there  two  weeks 
spent  in  refreshing  their  bodies  by  sports  without  a  sign  of 
human  cultivation  appearing,  they  beheld  one  morning  ap- 
proaching them  many  boats   covered  with  hides:    in  them 
javelins  were  raised  as  signals  and  whirled  around,  following 
the  motion  of  the  sun  and  creaking  with  the  friction.    Snorre 
Thorbrandson  and  Karlsefne  interpreted  them  to  be  signs  of 
pea  je  and  advised  that  they  should,  carry  a  white  shield  at 
their  head  and  go  to  meet  the  strangers;  when  they  saw  this 
they  rowed   up   vigorously   and  landed,  wondering  at   the 
Cireenlanders;  nor  did  the  latter  wonder  less  at  them,  for  they 
were   swarthy,   of  ill-favored   appearance,  with   short  hair, 
broad  cheek  bones  and  large  eyes;  then  after  a  short  delay, 
having  passed  the  headland,  the  strangers  turned  their  boats 
southward.      Thorfinn  with   his  companions  had   passed   a 
winter   without   snow,   in   huts,   which    he   had    erected    in 
different   places  nearer  to  oi    farther  away  from  the   sea; 
the  cattle  feeding  on  grassy  fields  needed  no  other  fodder. 
But  in  the  beginning  of  spring,  hide-covered  boats,  swarm- 
ing in  the  bay,  brought  parties  of  Skraelings  with  signals  of 
peace:  they  were  received  with  white  shields  and  induced  to 
land.      Then  they  bartered  on  the  one  side  pieces  of  red 
cloth  a  span  broad,  with  which  the  strangers  were  wonder- 
fully pleased  and  which  they  wrapped  about  their  heads,  on 
the  other  side  fur  skins ;  when  the  red  cloth  proved  insuf- 
ficient to  satisfy  the  wishes  of  those  who  asked  for  them,  pie- 
ces of  a  finger's  breadth  were  given  them;  Karlsefne's  bull, 
perchance  rushed  out  from  the  wood  and  so  frightened  them' 
with  its  horrid  bellowing,  that  they  forthwith  betook  them- 
selves to  flight  and  staid  away  for  three  weeks.   When  these 
were  passed  an  iminense  number  of  small  skiffs  arrived  and 
seemed  almost   to  cover  the   whole  sea;   and  they  whirled 
their  signals  not  as  before,  when  they  meant  peace,  in  the  di- 


II 


VINLAND. 


»r> 


rectionof  the  sun's  motion,  but  in  the  opposite  direction. 
Karlsefne  recognizing  this  as  a  declaration  of  war  ordered  a 
red  shield  to  be  raised  and  went  to  meet  them  with  an  armed 
force.     But  the  Skraelings  rushing  out  of  their  ships,  assailed 
them  at  a  distance   with   missiles   hurled  from  slings,  and 
then  threw  a  dark  blue  ball,   not  unlike  a  sheep's  stomach 
stuck  on  a  spear,  on  the  ground  above  Karlsefne's  soldiers 
but  kept  back  the  spear;  this  ball  strikir  .  thv  earth  with 
great  noise,  caused  such  dread  and   terr,r,  that     Tarlsefne 
with  his  companions  saw  their  only  safe  y  li  fligh       They 
rushed  along  the  upper  river  bank  in  a  o:>-.o;derlv  manner 
and  seemed  to  be  surrounded  on  all  sides,  b>;  ..  OiX  land  and 
sea,  by  the  numbers  of  the  enemy;  nor  could  their  flight  be 
stayed  until  they  reached  some  steep  rocks.    There  recover- 
ing  their  courage,  they  resisted  bravely.     But  Freydis  seeing 
her  countrymen  fleeing,  came  up  fearlessly  and  cried  out  • 
How  do  you,  warriors,  flee  from  those  dwarfs,  whom  you 
can  slaughter  like  sheep:  forsooth  had  I  arms,  I  should  hack 
them  into  pieces  more  boldly  than  any  of  you."     Her  words 
nowise  encouraged  the  panic-stricken  fugitives.     Therefore 
as  she  could  not  follow  them,  when   they  fled  to  the  woods' 
(for  she  was  pregnant)  it  seemed  wholly  unlikely  that  she 
would  escape  the  Skraelings.  While  she  was  pursued  by  them 
Je  came  upon  the  corpse  of  one  of  her  countrymen;  it  was 
Thorbrand  Snorreson,  whose  skull  had  been  crushed  with  a 
stone.     Having  seized  his  sword,  she  prepared  to  fight     But 
when  she  saw  several  running  up  to  her,  she  uncovered  her 
breast  and  approached  it  to  the  sword.     Frightened  by  this 
the  Skraelings  fled  to  their  boats  and  departed  in  great 
haste.     Karlsefne,  having  praised  Freydis,  began  to  consider 
what  men  they  were  that  had  rushed  fr  th  from  the  woods- 
at  last  It  was  found  that  they  were  pure  illusions,  and  that 
there  were  no  forces  except  those  which  had  been  in  the 
boats  and  attacked  them.     Then  he  took  to  bandaging  the 
wounded.     Two  Norsemen  were  lost  in   that  battle    but 
many  Skraelings.    One  of  the  latter, when  he  had  come  upon 
the  corpse  of  a  Greenlander  and  picked  up  his  axe  that  lay 
next  to  him,  struck  it  into  a  block  of  wood ;  but  when  the 


i 

J 

'11 

1 


nil 


:1k 


56 


HISTORY  OF 


Skraelings  noticed  that  the  axe  was  fit  for  cutting  and  sharp, 
one  after  the  other  tested  its  sharpness  by  cutting  wood. 
But  when  one  man  made  the  same  experiment  on  a  stone,  he 
broke  the  axe.     Now  wh6n  it  was  not  found  as  fit  to  cut 
stone  as  wood,  it  was  looked  upon  with  scorn  and  thrown 
into  the  sea  with  a  great  effort.     Karlsefne  foreseeing  that 
there  would  be  constant  danger  from  the  natives,  decided  to 
abandon  the  land,  however  pleasant  it  might  be.     Intending 
therefore  to  return  to  Greenland,  as  he  sailed  northward,  he 
came  upon  five  sleeping  Skraelings,  dressed  in  garments  of 
skins.     Next  to  them  lay  hollow  pieces  of  wood,  like  reeds, 
filled  with  animal  marrow  mixed  with  blood.    Conjecturing 
by  this  sign  that  they  had  been  driven  into  exile,  the  Norse- 
men killed  them.    Afterward  they  were  borne  to  a  headland 
so  full  of  wild  beasts,  that  it  was  almost  entirely  covered 
with  their  excrements,  for  there  the  beasts  stopped  over 
night.    The  Norsemen  called  it  Mikiunes  from  the  manure. 
Thence  they  came  to  the  bay  of  Straumsfjord,  where  plenty 
of  all  kinds  of  necessaries  were  found.     Others  relate  that 
Karlsefne,  together  with  Snorre,  when  he  landed  the  first 
time  at  Straumsey,  set  sail  southward  from  that  harbor  with 
one  ship  manned  with  forty  sailors,  for  the  purpose  of  seek- 
ing Vinland;  that  he  left  behind  him  the  hundred  others, 
including  his  wife  and  Bjarne  ;  that  not  quite  two  months 
passed"  before  their  return  and  that  he  brought  them  thence 
to  Vinland,  where  the  winter  was  passed.    Then  Karlsefne, 
setting  out  with  a  single  ship  to  find  Thorhall  the  hunter,  by 
sailing  northward  doubled  Cape  Kialarnes,  and  changing  his 
course  slightly  towards  the  west,  coasted  along  the  land  that 
lay  on  his  left,  which  was  an  unbroken  desert  interrupted 
by  no  cultivated  district,  until  enterin./  the  mouth  of  a  river 
that  flowed  from  east  to  west,  he  found  a  suitable  harbor 
for  his  ship. 


VINLAND. 


57 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


OF  THE  SLAYING  OF  THORVALD,  THE  SON  OF  ERIC  THE   RED,  BY  A 

ONE-FOOTED  BEING,  OF  KARLSEFNE's  SOJOURN    AT    STRAUMS- 

FJORD   FOR    THREE  WINTERS,  OF   THE   BIRTH  OF  HIS   SON 

SNORRE,  of  THE  CAPTIVITY  OF  TWO  SKRAELINGS,  OF 

THE  DANGEROUS  VOYAGE  OF  BJARNE  GRIMOLFSON 

IN    THE   IRISH  OCEAN,  OF  HIS   HONORABLE   CONDUCT 

TOWARD    A   CERTAIN  ICELANDER  IN  EXTREME  PERIL  OF  LIFE, 

OF  KARLSEFNE'S    RETURN  TO  ICELAND  AND  OF  HIS  DESCENDANTS. 

One  morning  on  the  shore  something  was  seen  to  move- 
when  they  had  shouted  at  it,  a  one-footed  being,  rising  up 
near  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  the  ship  stood  at  anchor 
rushed  forth  and  immediately  buried  an  arrow  in  the  flank 
of  Thorvald  Ericson.    When  Thorvald  had  drawn  it  out  and 
seen  his  own  fat  clinging  to  it,  he  said:  "Fertile  indeed  is  the 
land  we  have  found,  though  we  are  hardly  allowed  to  enjoy 
It.      Shortly  after  he  died  of  this  wound,  Karlsefne  with  his 
companions  pursuing  the  unipede  as  he  swiftly  ran  towards 
the  north,  at  times  had  him  in  view,  until  he  rushed  headlonjr 
into  a  certam  bay.     This  adventure  one  of  them  celebrated 
in  a  song,  which  exists  to  this  day.    Thence  sailing  north- 
ward they  thought  they  saw  the  country  of  the  unipedes  and 
deemed  it  useless  to  run  further  risks.     But  the  mountains 
that  begin  at  the  harbor  in  Vinland  called  Hoop,  they  found 
were  continued  in  an  uninterrupted  range  by  the  very  moun- 
tains m  the  place  where  they  were  staying,  and  that  in  the  mid- 
dle was  Straumsfjord,  equidistant  from  there  and  from  Hoop 
Then  they  passed  the  first  winter  in  Straumsfjord,  (whither 
they  seem  to  have  been  driven  back  by  the  winds)  where  a 
dangerous  dispute  arose  about  the  common  use  of  the  women 
which  the  unmarried  men  claimed  should  be  promiscuous 
At  the  beginning  of  autumn  Karlsefne's  son  Snorre,who  had 
been  born  there  and  was  now  three  years  old,  set  sail  from 
Vinland.    Thence,  their  sails  filled  with  the  south  wind  they 


m 


■m 


'■'    *  I, 


58 


HISTORY  OF 


came  to  Markland  ;  here  they  found  five  Skraelings,  one 
bearded,  two  women  and  as  many  boys;  the  rest  got  off  and 
escaped  into  the  earth  (where  perchance  they  had  haunts;) 
but  the  boys  were  caught.  Being  afterwards  brought  away 
and  taught  the  language  of  Greenland  and  made  acquainted 
with  Christian  rites,  they  said  that  their  mothers  name  was 
•  Vetthilde,  and  their  fathers  name  Vaege.  Two  kings,  they 
reported,  ruled  the  Skraelings,  one  called  Avalldainna,  the 
other  Valldidida.  Among  them  there  were  no  houses,  their 
place  being  supplied  by  caves  and  dens;  facing  their  country 
was  another,  which  was  inhabited  by  men  dressed  in  white 
garments,  and  terrible  on  account  of  the  noise  they  made, 
before  whom  spears  were  born,  from  which  hung  cloths.  It 
was  believed  that  they  described  Hvitra  Manna  Land  or 
White  Man's  Land,  or  Hibernia  Magna.  Bjarne  Grimolfson 
was  swept  away  by  a  tempest  to  the  Irish  Ocean.  When  the 
sea, which  was  full  of  worms,that  gnawed  and  pierced  the  ship, 
foiled  the  efforts  of  the  men  that  baled  out  the  ship,  and  the 
water  filled  it,  it  began  gradually  to  sink  in  the  waves.  They 
had  a  boat  covered  with  a  tar  made  from  seal's  grease:  that 
kind  of  boats  the  worms  never  perforate  (they  are  called 
Seltjoru.)  As  this  could  contain  only  one-half  of  the  sailors 
and  all  had  not  the  means  of  escaping,  Bjarne  ordered  them 
to  determine  by  lot,  without  regard  for  any  one's  rank,  who 
were  to  go  in  the  boat.  No  one  opposed  so  fair  a  proposal. 
The  lot  favored  him  among  others.  As  he  entered  the  boat 
an  Icelander,  who  by  lot  was  left  behind,  cried  out :  "  Will 
you  abandon  me  here  ?"  Bjarne  said  that  it  was  done  by  the 
decision  of  the  lot.  "And  yet,"  answered  the  other,  "you 
promised  my  father  in  Iceland  t'  at  we  should  share  the  same 
lot."  "  Be  it  so,"  answered  Bjarne,  since  you  cling  so  des- 
perately to  life,  enter  the  boat,  for  I  .shall  willingly  yield  you 
my  place."  And  so  returning  to  his  ship  he  preferred  to  life 
faith  and  honor,  the  loss  of  which  he  dreaded  much  more 
than  present  death  that  stared  him  in  the  face.  The  skiff 
arrived  safe  with  Bjarne's  companions  at  Dublin,  a  cele- 
brated city  of  Ireland.  But  Bjarne  with  the  rest,  all  think, 
was  swallowed   up   in   the  waves,  for  nothing  further  was 


VINLAND. 


50 


heard  of  him.     By  what  right  he  sacrificed  his  life,  granted 
to  him  by  God,  I  shall  not  discuss;  but  surely  he  left  to  all 
posterity  a  remarkable  example  of  good  faith,  which  he  would 
by  no  means  have  imperilled,  had  he  taken  advantage  of  the 
favors  of  fortune.     In  the  following  summer  Karlsefne  is 
reported  to  have  crossed  to  Iceland  with  his  wife  and  to  have 
betaken  himself  to  his  mother,  on  the  estate  of  Reinarnes. 
Hauk,  NOMOPHVLAx  or  chief  judge  of  Iceland,  about  the  year 
1294,  compiled  the  book  of  which  the  above  are  extracts, 
and  which  is  called   Hauk's  bok  or  Hauk's  book  after  his 
name,  from  the  writings  of  the  monk  Gunnlaug,  who  died  in 
the  yeai-  12 19,  and  from  several  other  old  chronicles,  both  pa- 
gan and  Christian.  He  enumerates  hia  ancestors  from  Thorfinn 
Karlsefne,  beyond  the  genealogy  contained  in  the   Codex 
Flateyensis,  as  follows:  Karlsefne's  son  Snorre  had  a  daugh- 
ter  Steinvor,  the  wife  of  Eniar  of  the  manor  of  Grund,  the 
grandson  of  Ketill,  the  great-grandson  of  Thorvald   Krok, 
the  great-great-grandson  of  Thorer,  of  the  manor  of  Es- 
pishol.     By  her  he  begat  a  son  Thorstein,  called  Ranglat,  or 
the  wicked,  the  father  of  Gudrun,  the  wife  of  Jorund,  of  the 
manor  of  Kelldum.    Their  daughter  Halla  bore  Flose;  the 
daughter  of  Flose,  Valgerdis,  was  the  mother  of  the  chief 
judge  Erlend  the  Strong,  the  father  of  our  chief  judge  Hauk 
who  is  the  ninth  from  Karlsefne.     Another  daughter  of 
Flose,  who  was  sixth  from  Karlsefne,  was  Thordis  the  mother 
of  Ingibjorg,  called  the  Rich,  whose  daughter  was  Hallbera, 
Abbess  of  the  monastery  of  Reinenes.     Many  other  dis- 
tinguished families  in   Iceland  are  said  to  have  been  de- 
scended  from  Karlsefne  and  Gndrid.    And  this  is  the  story 
the  Antiquities  relate  of  Vinland  ;   many  details,  it  is  true, 
contradict  one  another;  but  I  abstain  from  examining  these' 


I 
I'! 


M 


60 


HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  XV. 


fiii' 


ADAM    OF   BREMEN'S   STORY    OF   VINLAND   CONSISTENT   WITH    THE 

above;    his  GREAT  MISTAKE  REGARDING  ITS  POSITION;    OLAF 

RUDBECK    NO    LESS    ERRONEOUSLY   IDENTIFIES  VINLAND 

WITH    FINLAND;     THE    STORY   OF    THE    POSITION  OF 

GREAT     IRELAND  ;     OF    ARE     THE    ICELANDER 

AND   THE    PITCH   OF   THE    GREFNLANDERS. 

"Moreover,"  says  Adam  of  Bremen,  he  {i.  e.,  Sven  Astrith- 
arson,  King  of  Denmark)  spoke  of  one  other  island  found 
by  many  in   that  ocea'^    (which  washes  Norway  and  even 
Finnmark)  an  island  called  Wfnland,  because  vines  grow  wild 
there ;   that  corn  also  abounds  there  without  being  sown 
we  have  found  to  be  proven,  not  by  some  storied  opinion 
but    by    the    undoubted    history    of    the    Danes."       This 
Statement  compared  with  our  narrative  proves  that  the  report 
about  Vinland  seemed  at  that  time  not  idle,  but  to  merit 
undoubting  belief,  because  it  was  supported  by  the  experience 
and  testimony  of  reliable  men;  for  Adam  of  Bremen  lived 
at   the    time   of   Harold   the   Haughty,  King   of   Norway. 
Now  Harold  began   to  reign   in  the  forty-sixth  or  rather 
the  forty-fifth  year  after  Vinland  was  first  discovered  and 
afterwards  settled.     Concerning   these  events   he  adds  to 
his  recital :    "  Beyond   this  island  (he  has    been  speaking 
of  Vinland)  no  other  habitable  land  is  found  in  that  ocean  • 
but  all  beyond  is  full  of  intolerable  ice  and  unbounded  dark- 
ness ;  this  fact  Marcianus  mentions,  saying  that  after  one 
day's  sail  beyond  Thyle  the  sea  is  frozen  solid.     This  was 
lately  tested  by  Harold,  the  most  experienced  chief  of  the 
Northmen;  for  having  explored  with  ships  the  latitudes  of 
the  northern  ocean,  when  the  limits  of  the  ceasing  world 
were  wrapt  in  darkness  before  his  eyes,  he  escaped  with 
difficulty  the  immense  depth  of  the  abyss  by  retracing  his 
steps."    Olaf  Rudbeck,  in  chapter  7,  paragraph  8,  page  291 


VINLAND. 


61 


of  his  Atlantica,  writes  as  follows  on  this  passage-  "Some- 
thing  like  this  no  doubt  had  of  old   persuaded  Adam  ot 
Bremen  that  in  the  extreme  north,  near  the  sea  of  ice,  was 
situated  an  island  that  produced  the  vine,  and  was  for  that 
reason  called  Vinland.     This  he  believed  on  the  authority  of 
the  Danes,  however,  as  he  himself  does  not  hesitate  to  state 
on  page  37  of  his  work  on  the  situation  of  Denmark-  but 
that  he  was  deceived  either  by  the  credulity  of  the  Danes  or 
by  nis  own,  is  clearly  shown  by  the  similarity  of  the  name  of 
Finland,  a  province  belonging  to  our  kingdom,  for  which  in 
Snorro  and  the  History  of  the  Kings  the  name  of  Vinland 
occurs  more  than  once,  and  whose  headland  stretches  into 
the  extreme  north  and  even  to  the  sea  of  ice."    He  thinks 
that  by  Vinland  Adam  of  Bremen  understood  Finland,  and 
that  he  took  the  Finnish  ale  for  wine,  though  that  drink  is 
common  to  the  Fins  and  other  northern  nations  and  can  hard- 
ly be  mistaken  for  grapes  and  vines,  which,  Adam  of  Bremen 
thinks,  grow  wild  in  Vinland.     And  that  he  was  not  deceived 
by  the  Danes,  as  Rudbeck  supposes,  is  plain  from  the  facts 
we  have  stated.     But  where  the  name  of  Vinland  occurs  in 
Snorro  and  the  Histories  of  the  Kings,  I  have  not  up  to  this 
time  found  out.  ^ 

Concerning    the  Great    Ireland  spoken   of,   which  the 
ancients  call  White  Man's  Land,  or  Albania,  the  Origins  of 
Iceland  say,  that  it  is  separated  from  Ireland  or  Hibemia  bv 
a  distance  which  you  can  measure  by  a  six  day's  voyage 
towards  the  west,  and  they  place  it  near  Vinland,    Thither 
as  the  same  book  relates.  Are  Marson,  the  great-grandson  of 
Ulf  Skialg,  who  first  settled  the  district  of  Reikjanes,  in  the 
western  districts  of  Iceland,  was  driven  by  a  storm:  there  he 
was  first  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  Christianitv,  and  there 
although  he  was  not  allowed  to  depart,  he  was  well  treated 
and  held  in  great  honor.     Hrafn,  called  the  Limerick-trader 
from  his  frequent  voyages  to  Limerick,  a  city  of  Ireland 
first  brought  this  report  to  Iceland,  and  Thorkel  Geiterson 
athrmed,  that  the  same  story  was  afterwards  related  in  the 
Saga  of  Thorfinn,  Earl  of  the  Orkney.s.     Thi=  Are  was  the 
cousin  of  Thorhild  (whom  others  callThiodhild)  the  wife  of 


an 


HISTORY  OF 


Eric  the  Red,  who  discovered  Greenhinfl,  For  Jorund,  the 
other  son  of  Ulf  Skialg,  and  the  brother  of  Mar  by  his  wife 
Thorbjorg,  called  Knarrabringa,  begat  this  Thorhild.  The 
genealogy  of  Ulf  Skialg  we  have  traced  from  Hjorleif  the 
Gallant,  king  of  Hordia,  as  set  down  in  his  life.  Pitch  horn 
seal's  fat  is  said  to  be  used  by  the  Greenlaiiders  alone  ;  they 
hang  up  oil  fried  from  seal's, fat,  and  put  it  into  boats  of  skin 
to  dry,  until  it  thickens,  then  color  U  black  and  oesmear  the 
ships.  This  method  Bjorn  of  Skardza  described  ;  to  me  it 
seems  more  likely  tliat  i<  ;^au  be  distjulved,  unless  something 
else  be  added  to  the  seal';   i^-xt. 


CHAPTr^R  XVI. 

OF  THE  VOYAGES  OF  THE  SAXON    BISHOP  JONES,  AND  OF  ERIC, 

BISHOP    OF    GREENLAND,  TO  VINLAND,  AND 

OF  Gt'DLEIF   GUDLAUGSON. 

The  appendix  to  the  Landnama  Book  relates  that  Jones 
or  Johannes,  a  Saxon  Bishop,  (the  Hungrvaka  book,  which 
is  written  on  the  history  of  the  bishops  of  Iceland,  asserts 
that  he  was  an  Irishman,  or  Hibernian,)  after  first  preaching 
the  Christian  faith  for  four  years  in  Iceland,  set  out  thence 
for  Vinland,  in  order  to  convert  its  people,  and  finally  sealed 
his  mission  there  by  suffering  torture  and  death. 

In  the  year  1121,  Eric,  bishop  of  Greenland,  visited  Vin- 
land. His  family,  the  book  on  the  Origins  of  Iceland,  part  i. 
On  the  general  occupation,  chapter  13,  page  15,  traces  back 
to  the  first  settlers  of  Iceland.  Eric's  father  being  Gnup, 
Gnup's  Biming,  Birning's  Gnup,  Gnup's  Grimkel,  Grimkel's 
Bjorn,  surnamed  GuUbera  or  Gold-bearer,  who  first  settled 
southern  Reykjadal,  a  district  of  Southern  Iceland.  Grimkel's 
wife  was  Signya,  Valthiof's  daughter,  who  occupied  the 
whole  district  called  Kios;  his  father  was  Aurlig,  who  occu- 
pied a  great  part  of  Kjalarnes;  hit  'her  was  Hrap,  the  son 
of  Ketill  Flat-nesi  or  Flat-nose,  the   ^    indson  of  Bjorn  Buna. 


VINLAND. 


63 


I  know  not  whether  this  Vinland  or  some  other  uncertain 
part.  >,:  America  is  meant  by  the  land,  to  which,  as  the  Eyrbyg 
gja  Saga  reports,  Gudleif  Guni.laugson  of  the  province  of 
Straumfjord  in  the  western  district  of  Iceland,  sailing  from 
Dublin,  a  city  of  Ireland,towards  the  end  of  St.  Olaf 's  life, was 
diiven  on  his  return  to  Iceland  by  east  and  north  winds. '  On 
this  occasion  he  fell  into  great  danger  of  death  or  of  lifilong 
slavery,  after  losing  his  way  and  roaming  for  a  long  time 
over  the  western  ocean  without  meeting  any  land.     But  then 
an  extensive  country  which  they  saw,  attracted  the  sailors 
who  were  worn  out  with  hardships  and  weak  with  long  sea- 
sickness, to  a  safe  harbor  by  the  hope  of  refreshment.    When 
they  had  reached  shore,  the  inhabitants  started  up  by  hun- 
dreds, dragged  them  all  from  their  ship  and  threw  them  into 
chams.    The  language  of  these  people  was  unknown  to  the 
Northmen,   and  yet  seemed    to  resemble  most    the    Irish 
tongue.    They  understood  that  thereupon  the  people  of  the 
country  deliberated,   some  condemning    the  Northmen  to 
death,  others  to  slavery,  until  an  old  man  of   lofty  stature 
and  with  venerable  white  hair  and  a  great  retinue,  before 
whom  a  standard  was  borne,  rode  up  and  like  a  prince  was 
received  with  the  utmost  respect.    To  him  thereupon  were 
submitted  the  opinions  of  those  who  had  been  debating 
Having  summoned  the  sailors  he  addressed  them  in  Danish 
and  asked, whence  they  came.     Having  learned  that  most  of 
them  were  Icelanders,  he  asked .  Gudleif,  from  what  part  of 
Iceland  they  came.    When  the  latter  had  mentioned   Borgar- 
fjord,  he  enquired  concerning  the  state  and  condition  of  the 
several  nobles  there  and  extending  his  conversation  enquired 
for  Snorre  the  priest,  his  sister  Thurid  and  her  son  Kjartan 
When   the  crowd   thereupon   interrupted   him,  demanding 
that  some  decision  should  be  come  to  regarding  the  ship  he 
selected  twelve  men  as  his  council  and  retired.    After  con- 
siderable delay  he  addressed  Gudleif  in  the  following  words- 
"I  have  pleaded  your  cause  before  my  fellow  citizens  who 
consider  it  a  favor  that  they  have  left  your  fate  to  my  de- 
cision,  and  accordingly  I  grant  you  permission  to  depart.    In- 
deed,though  summer  is  far  advanced,I  advise  and  urge  you  to 


m 


64 


HISTORY  OF 


and  faithless,  and  will  soon  be  angered  on  account  of  th^ 
violation  of  its  laws."     Then  said  Gudleif:    "What  'hall  I 
report  in  my  native  counti-y  ?    Whom  shall  I  dedare  mv  1 
hverer  to  be?"    "To  know  that  is  unnecessary,  'htrnswered' 
'•for  I  do  not  wish  my  friends  and  relatives  fn  h«  r      ' 
hither  through  affection  for  me,  lest  per  hance  the  sameT" 
tune  awaits  them  which  you  wo'uld  have  met "  th  had  I  not" 
intervened;  moreover,!  am  already  of  such  anil  that  A  .h 
may  overtake  me  at  any  mc.nent;  but  even  ifit  Le  put "ff 
ever  so  long,  there  are  far  away  in  this  land  other  men  Lf 
powerful  than  I,  who  will  certainly  not  send  off    ^         ^ 
unharmed/'     Thereupon  he  remaiU  wTth^hL^*rtr: 
favorable  breeze  sprang  up,  and  to  Gudleif,  as  he  depa  L 
he  gave  a  golden  ring  and  a  sword,  the  former  to  h.  H  ' 
hvered  to  Thurid,  sister  of  Snorre  the  oriest   tl.    ?  .. 
her  son  Kjartan,  who  after  his  father'sdeath  held  t.        '  '° 
of  Froda.     In  reply  to  the  question,";  whom  hfsho'ur "" 
the  gifts  were  sent,  he  replied  :  "by  on^  to  whon,  ^^       '^^ 
of  the  priest  Helgafell  was  dearer^han  the  prTes 'himfelf 
had  been."     But  if  any  one  should  think  that  from  Zf 
wonis  he  knows  who  I  am,  do  you  repeat  my  Lrds  tw  ? 
forbid  any  one  to  journey  hither  ;  for  this  land  fir  t ^ 
part  is  harborless,  and  the  people  hosti L  to  st-nX" - 

:r,:t:o^^^--{-^ 

under  Stjrbjorn,  chtef  of  Suecia  (S^den )  a^d  r^    u" 
murder  a  second  time  under  Palna,„v»,r^  '""■  """ 

With  .he  established  "^^Z'T^o^^S^  Z^^ 
chronology  ,s  not  treated  with  care.  As  a  younf  man  he 
had  fallen  m  love  with  Thurid,  and  was  for  th.t  , 
pursued  by  her  brother,  in  order  to  put  hta  to  dealh  aT" 
courageously  escaping  him  by  his  wUes,  he  permitted  h  m' 
self  to  be  prevailed  upon  by  entreaties,  t^  leave  W    cotntrr 


VINLAND. 


65 


but  to  what  place  the  ship  which  bore  him  was  borne,  no  one 
had  determined  with  certainty,  before  it  became  known  that 
he  had  been  driven  to  the  place  where  Gudleif  foimd  him; 
but  how  this  happened  has  never  since  been  found  out! 
That  this  country  was  some  part  of  America,  is  made  likely 
by  the  winds  which  Gudleif  met  with,  by  the  direction  of 
his  voyage  and  by  his  departure  from  and  return  to  Ireland. 
But  as  I  have  made  mention  in  Chapter  8  of  the  prodigies 
of  Froda  and  of  the  woman  from  the  Hebrides  by  whom, 
according  to  the  book  which  Bjom  of  Skardza  followed,  Leif 
the  Lucky  is  falsely  reported  to  have  had  a  son,  and  as  we 
have  now  come  to  the  same  manor  where  these  incidents  are 
said  to  have  occurred  and  the  same  persons  among  whom 
they  happened,  it  is  proper  to  copy  the  story  of  them  from 
the  history  of  the  Eyrbyggians,  and  add  them  here  as  a 
finishing  touch  to  our  history. 


<^'i 


.1 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


OF    THE   PRODIGIES   OF   FRODA. 

In  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  the  Jarls  Eric  and 
Sven,  sons  of  Hakon,  Jarl  of  the  Hladae,  prodigies  were 
remarked  on  a  manor  in  the  western  quarter  of  Iceland, 
called  Froda;  their  cause  and  origin  I  shall  relate  in  order! 
The  manor  was  occupied  by  a  wealthy  man  called  Thorodd, 
surnamed  Skattkaupandi,  or  the  tribute-buyer.     For   he 
sold  his  boat  to  some  shipwrecked  men  of  Orkney  who  were 
in  danger  of  life  on  the  coast  of  Ireland,  while  bringing  trib- 
ute money  from  the  Hebrides  and  Mona(Man)to  Earl  Sigurd 
about  the  year  980,  and  took  for  pay  a  part  of  the  tribute,  as 
has  been  recounted  by  us  in  our  History  of  the  Orkneys, 
chapter  10.     His  wife  was  Thurid,  the  sister  of  the  famous 
SnoTTe,  priest  of  Helgafell,  -vhose  authority  was  very  great 
in  that  part  of  the  island      Thorodd  had  received  in  his 
house  a  woman,Thorgunna  by  name. who  had  come  the  same 
summer  from  Dublin  on  the  invitation  of  his  wife.     She  was 


66 


HISTORV 


led  by  the  hope  of  getting  possession  of  the  many  and  valu- 
able treasures  which  the  stranger  possessed.  This  woman 
was  a  native  of  the  Hebrides,  and  was  at  this  time  more  than 
fifty  years  old.  However,  she  vvould  not  pay  a  In'-^"  -m 
for  Thurid's  hospitality,  nor  sell  what  was  deai<. .  lo  her  than 
gold,  even  at  the  greatest  price,  though  .she  was  worried  ever 
.so  much  by  her  hostess;  she  said,  she  would  earn  her  living 
by  work,  but  not  hy  low  and  servile  work.  On  these  con- 
ditions she  was  recc  v-ed  as  a  guest.  The  bed  assigned  to 
her  she  covered  with  spreads  and  blankets  so  precious  that 
nothing  more  vaiuuble  was  ever  seen  in  that  place.  Thi.hd 
all  the  more  inflamed  with  the  desire  to  possess  them,ofi'ered 
Thorgunna  an  immense  price,  but  in  vain.  She  would  not 
sleep  on  the  ground,  she  answered,  even  for  the  sake  of 
Thurid,  however  respectable  a  lady  she  might  be.  Whenever 
the  weather  was  unfavorable  to  drying  hay,  she  worked  at 
embroidery,  at  other  times  using  her  own  mattock,  she  worked 
at  the  hay.  Her  form  was  tall  and  she  was  proportionally 
stout;  her  complexion  was  slightly  dark,  her  eyes  large,  her 
hair  also  was  dark  and  long,  and  her  manners  graceful. 
There  was  in  the  same  house  a  certain  Thorer  Vidlegg, 
(Wooden-leg)  with  his  wife  Thorgrima,  called  Galdrakinn, 
or  of  the  magic  chin;  he  was  to  be  supported  at  che  host's 
expense  by  right  of  relationship,  at  that  time,  I  V  lieve,  still 
in  vogue.  Thorgunna  and  Th(  rima  forever  quarrelled. 
Young  Kjartan  was  passionately  loved  by  the  stranger  Thor- 
gunna, but  her  passion  was  unreturred,  and  she  was  vexed 
that  she  did  not  please  hiu.  equaliy.  A  rainy  surmer  was 
followed  by  a  dry  autumn.  The  sky  was  clear,  nndotted  by 
even  a  single  cloud,  when  all  bent  upon  gathering  hr  y,  per- 
formed each  the  duty  assigned  to  him  by  the  mastei .  Thor- 
gunna on  that  day  was  to  dry  and  gather  1  o  sbfjaves  as 
much  hay  as  would  s'uffice  to  fc  d  an  ox  *  roi:  out  the 
winter.  At  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  clouu  arism.4^  in  the 
north  moved  i.ver  Thorodd's  house  and  the  manor  of  Froda. 
From  it  fell  so  much  rain  that  it  saturated  all  the  hay  which 
had  not  been  put  into  sheaves,  and  the  sky  became  so  dark 
that  the  workmen  could  not  see  one  another.     But  when  the 


VINLAND. 


«7 


cloud  passed  away  it  was  seen  that  it  had  rained  blood. 

fallen  on  the  hay,  dncd,  except  that  on  Thorgunna's  sheaves- 

nor  could  the  blood  which  stained  the  mattock  she  held,  and 

W  ^uT.V''  ^^^'^^"««d  off.     When  Thorodd  enquired  of 

hern-hat  this  prodigy  meant,  she  said  she  did  not  know,  but 

that  It  foreboded  the  death  of  somebody  who  was  close  to 

him.     Having  gone  home  the  same  evening  and  put  off  the 

garments  that  were  dripping  with  blood    she  went  to  bed 

repeating  that  she  saw  she  was  detained  by  sickness      On 

that  evening  she  would  take  no  food.    Early  the  following 

morning  Ihorodd  went  to  her  and  asked,  what  she  though? 

would  be  the  issue  of  her  illness.     She  answered  that  fhe 

would  Tu'^'r  ''""?  '""^^^  ''''''''''''  ^-  the  present 
would  be  her  last  sickness ;    that  she  considered  him  the 

wisest  n.un  of  the  manor,  and  for  that  reason  warned  him 

after  her  <!  ^ath  to  dispose  of  the  property  owned  and  left  by 

her  accor.     g  to  her  testament  or  last  will;  that  if  this  were 

u.sregarded  i^   .-as  much  to  be  feared  farther  prodigies  would 

follow  the  or     :hat  had  been  seen.     But  he  promised  to  rec 

ognize  her  ...  a  prop'    tess  and  not  to  disobey  her  instructions 

or  last  will.     -'My  .        .e."  she  replied.  "I  order  to  be  taken 

to  Skalholt,  where  I  forest,  will  be  for  a  long  time  the  fore 

most  place  in  the  island;  for  I  hope  that  the  ministers  of  the 

gospel  are  already  assembled  there,  who  will  perform   mv 

obsequies  according  to  the  sacred  rite.     As  a  reward  for  your 

trouble  and  the  outlay  which  you  will  make  for  this  purpose 

you  will  take  in  advance  as  much  of  my  property  as  I  shall 

order  and  with  this  you  can  be  satisfied'    Your  wife t'!! 

take  from  the  undivided  property  my  purple  cloak  which  I 

dispose  of  in  this  manner,  that  she  may  submit  with  equa 

nimity  to  whatever  I  provide  regarding  the  rest.     My  rin. 

the  church  of  Skalholt  shall  have  in  payment  for  my  burial  • 

but  the  coverings  of  my  bed,  and  my  girdles,  and  aH  my 

possessiuns      command  to  be  burned,  for  I  do  not  foresee 

that  they  will  be  of  any  service  to  any  one;  and  ^-et  I  do  not 

do  this,  1    cause  I  envy  mankind  the  possession  of  my  prop- 

erty,  but  because  I  do  not  wish  men  on  my  account  to  suffer 


It 

h 


68 


HISTORY  OF 


and  be  overwhelmed  by  the  many  '  irdships  and  afflictions 
which  I  foresee  will  follow,if  my  directions  will  be  disobeyed." 
Thorodd  repeated  his  former  promises.     Then  her  illness 
bejfan  to  grow  more  violent,  and  after  the  lapse  of  a  few 
days  it  earned  her  off.     The  corpse  was  placed  in  a  coffin 
and  the  next  day  taken   o  church.     Then  Thorodd  bade  all 
the  equipments  of  her  bed  to  be  carried  outside  and  a  fire 
to  be  lit,  into  which  they  were  to  be  thrown.     When  his  wife 
saw  this,  she  said   that  thinjjs  so  valuable  should  not  be 
destroyed;  for,  said  she,  her  old  wives'  talk  is  not  of  enoujfh 
importance  to  make  me  willing  to  suffer  the  loss  of  these 
valuables    through  fear  of  her  threats.      And  adding  en- 
treaties, she  urged   her  husband   with  such  earnestness  to 
preserve  the  garments,  that  she  saved  all  the  girdles  and 
coverlets  from  the  fire,  the  neck-cloths,  mattrasses  and  pil- 
lows only  being  consigned  to  the  flames.    And  yet  Thorodd's 
wife  was  not  satisfied   by  this  concession,  though  he  was 
vexed  at  her  excessively  violent  threats.     Afterwards  the 
funeral  preparations  were  made  and  the  corpse-bearers  were 
taken  to  the  bier,  and  men  of  distinction  were  selected  for 
the  office;  special  horses  too  were  chosen,  for  a  long  journey 
of  many  miles  was  to  be  gone  through.     The  corpse  was 
wrapped  in  linen  shrouds  which  were  seamless.    Straightway 
they  passed  through  solitudes,  nor  was  anything  remarked 
that  was  worthy  of  mention,   before  they  had  passed   the 
manor  of  Valbjarnarvall.     There  the  mire,  softened  by  the 
rain,  hindered  their  progress.    They  had  crossed  with  diffi- 
culty the  river  called  Nordra   in  the  Eyafjord,  for  it  was 
filled  by  the  streams  which  it  receives,  and  which  formed 
pools  owing  to  the  long  rain  storms,  and  could  be  crossed 
only  with  difficulty,  if  at  all.     One  evening  they  came,  tired 
by  their  long  toil,  to  the  manor  called  Nes,  situated  in  the 
district  of  Stafholztung.    There,  as  they  were  denied  a  lodg- 
ing  and  yet  could  not  proceed  further  on  account  of  the 
approaching  darkness,  they  set  down  their  burden  and  carried 
the  corpse  into  a  house  that  lay  apart.     Having  entered  the 
dining  hall,  they  intended  to  pass  the  night  fasting.    Though 
the  servants  had  gone  to  sleep,  they  heard  a  sound  as  if  oi   i 


VINLAND. 


60 


man  walkmjr  m  the  store  room.  Suspecting'  that  there  were 
thieves  they  ran  in,  and  on  opening  the  door,  beheld  there  a 
woman  tall  of  stature  and  naked,  and  covered  by  no  garment 
whatsoever,  who  dealt  out  food  ;  frightened  thereby  they 
dared  not  approach,  and  going  to  the  corpse-bearers  thev  re- 
sted what  they  had  seen.  When  these  had  hastened  thither 
they  recognized  Thorgunna,whose  corpse  they  were  carrying 
and  did  not  think  it  safe  to  meddle  with  her  allairs.     When 

f.  L  fi,^'?,'  ''•'  """'^  ^^^^  ^'  '^^  *^""^^*  ^eht,  she  brought 
It  into  the  dining-room  and  placed  it  on  the  table.  Then  the 
corpse-bearers  said  to  the  host:  "Perhaps  you  will  regret 
lefusing  us  food  and  hospitable  kindness."  Then  the  host 
and  his  wife  replied,  that  they  should  have  food  and  whatever 

ro,^  Z^  r  "'''^'     "^^'"^  '^''  '^'"^^"^^  Thorgunna  departed 
from  the  dining  room  and  appeared  there  no  more;  but  the 
guests  entering  took  off  their  wet  garments  and  changed 
them  for  dry  ones ;  having  signed  with  the  cross  the  food 
which  Thorgunna  had  placed  there,  they  partook  of  it  with- 
out delay  and  without  any  harm  to  themselves.      Having 
spent  the  night  there,  they  resumed  their  journey  on  the 
following  day,  and,  wherever  they  came,  they  spread   the 
report  of  this  occurrence  and  obtained  what  they  asked  for 
as  no  one  dared  to  refuse  them  what  they  needed.     At  lasi 
they  arrived  at  Skalholt  and  the  ring  and  the  other  treasures 
willed  by  Thorgunna,  were  delivered  to   the  priests  and 
eagerly  accepted  by  them,  and  the  corpse  was  committed  to 
earth  already  consecrated,  and  the  corpse-bearers   arrved 
sate  at  their  homes  without  any  damage 

On  the  manor  of  Proda  there  was  an  immense  kitchen  • 

trZuZl  7"  ""r,'^^"^^'  ^J^^y«  open,  to  the  bedcham-' 
ber,  the  beds  being  shut  in  with  hangings  on  both  sides  For 
after  the  manner  of  those  times,  those  buildings  were  ad- 
joining. Now  next  to  the  kitchen  were  two  .mall  buildings 
one  on  each  side;  in  the  one  dried  fish  were  kept,  in  the  othe; 
vessels  filled  with  grain;  every  evening  the  hearth  was  lit 
o  cook  food  and  near  it  the  household  were  wont  to  sit 
ogether,  before  going  to  .vp.  Now  on  the  evening  when 
the  corpse-bearers  returned,  whilst  the  household  sat  near 


70 


HISTORY  OF 


the  hearth,  a  large  moon  appeared  on  the  kitchen  wall,which 
moved  leftwards  through  the  kitchen.  Nor  did  it  recede 
while  they  were  in  the  kitchen ;  it  was  seen  by  all  alike. 
Thorodd,  the  host,  asked  Thorer  Vidlegg  what  the  prodigy 
meant.  He  answered  that  it  was  called  Vidarmana  (which 
is  translated  "tree  moon")  and  that  it  foreboded  deaths.  This 
marvel  lasted  a  whole  week.  Then  the  shepherd,  who  had  re- 
turned home  unusually  silent  and  more  stern  than  was  his 
wont,  was  thought  to  have  come  upon  some  prodigy,  for  he 
walked  by  himself  and  spoke  to  himself.  This  lasted  till  the 
first  two  weeks  of  winter  had  passed ;  then  at  last,  having 
returned,  the  shepherd  took  to  his  bed,  and  the  following 
morning  he  was  found  dead.  After  being  buried  near  the 
church  he  troubled  the  living;  for  Thorer  Vidlegg  rising 
from  bed  one  night,  went  outside;  when  about  to  return  he 
noticed  that  the  shepherd  near  the  doors  was  about  to  pre- 
vent his  re-entrance.  Strwing  thereupon  to  escape  he  was 
pursued  and  seized  by  the  shepherd  and  thrown  down  at  the 
door  with  a  great  crash.  Then  taking  to  bed  he  lay  ill  for  a 
long  time  until  he  died  and  was  buried  near  the  church. 
Afterwards  he  was  seen  in  company  with  the  shepherd  to 
walk  the  night.  Next  one  of  Thorodd's  servants  after  lying 
ill  for  three  days  died.  Now  the  fast  tx;at  precedes  Christ- 
mas and  begins  with  the  first  Sunday  of  Advent  was  ap- 
proaching, although  at  that  time  Christmas  was  not  celebra- 
ted in  Iceland,  and  already  six  had  died  in  the  same  house. 
One  evening  the  heap  of  dried  fish  was  heard  to  be  upset,but 
when  it  was  inspected,  it  was  found  in  its  usual  condition. 
After  the  Yxile  feast  Thorodd  accompanied  by  five  servants, 
sailed  in  a  large  ship  to  bring  home  fish  ;  but  on  the  same 
evening  in  the  kitchen  of  Froda,  a  seal's  head  was  seen  to 
start  up  from  the  floor.  When  one  of  the  servant-women 
saw  this,  she  struck  it  on  the  head  with  a  piece  of  wood,  but 
with  every  blow  it  rose  higher  and  turned  its  eyes  towards 
Thorgunna's  bed,  which  vt^as  covered  with  blankets.  One 
of  the  hired  men  assailed  the  seal  with  repeated  blows,  but 
the  seal  emerged  more  and  more,  until  it  had  stretched  out 
its  arms;  at  the  same  uiotuent  the  hired  man  taken  with  a 


VINLAND.  Yi 

fit  fell  down,  and  great  fear  seized  the  rest.  At  last  young 
Kjartan  smote  the  seal  with  a  powerful  blow.  Then  it 
shook  Its  head  and  turned  its  eyes  hither  and  thither-  there! 
upon  he  rained  down  blows  without  ceasing,  and  at  each 
blow  the  seal  sank  down  and  appeared  to  be  about  to  die, 
until  It  v/as  wholly  suffocated,  and  Kjartan  struck  the  earth 
over  Its  head.     All  these  monsters  seemed  to  fear  Kjartan 

^hln      L  .u     J'r^"  "'^'  '^"  P^^'^  ^^"^'^  Enne,  and  the 
ship  with  the  fish  was  dashed  against  the  shore    but  the 

kZZ""""",  T  '""""t    ^^'"  '^'^  "^"^  ^^«  b^«"ght  home, 
S^fTi.  ^!^^°ther  invited  their  friends  to  a  funeral 

least:  the  provisions,  now  used  for  the  funeral  banquet  had 
been  intended  for  the  Yule  feast.     On  the  first  evening  of 

Thnr  r"  ;.  T'''"  ""   '^'  ^""'''^  ^^^   taken  their  seats, 
rhorodd  with  his  companions,  all  dripping,  entered.     This 
was  regarded  as  a  good  sign,  for  the  guests^ere  thought  to 
be    hospitably    received,    whenever   those    who    had    been 
drowned  came  in  to  the  funeral   feast  celebrated  in  the'r 
honor;  for  at  that  time  there  remained  much  of  the  pagan 
been   ?'  ^i""^i!  J'^^  I^^^-"ders  were  Christians  and  Ld 
been    baptized.      Thorodd    with    his    men,  having    passed 
through  the  dining  hall,  made  for  the  kitchen,  wifhouHn 
swering  any  one's  greeting;   finally  they  all     eated  them- 
selves near  the  hearth,  the  servants  fleeing.     There  the^e 
dead  men  tarried  until  the  fire  was  covered  with  ashes;  then 

lasted  this  took  place.     The  guests  thought  it  would  cease 

when  the  feast  had  ended.     But  it  turned  out  very  different- 

y.     After  the  guests  left,  when  the  servants  came  to  iTght 

leL  fw    '.^"'"'^  "'^'   '^^  companions  took    their  selt 
near  it,  for  they  were  all  dripping  wet  ana  with  their  hands 
wrang     he  water  out  of  their  clothes.     As   they  sat  there 
Thorer  Vidlegg  came  from  the  opposite  side  Jh  JloZ 
panions  equal  in  number  to  the  others  and  all  covered  with 

on  Thorodd  and  his  companions.      But  the  servants  were 
all  driven  from   their  seats  on  that  evening  and  had  no 


7S 


U- 


mm 


m 


1: 


ftl:^  iJi 


HISTORY  OF 


'he  ghosts  behaved  as  Sorl     n      u°'  """"  '^^^■.  ba 

ZtT  T'^'^'^^"'   "  °X  h"ea    h   ""^''  ---4  "t 
^itchen  and  a  fire  lit-  hut  th^  "S^  "earth   was  built  in  thp 

house.    This  proved  sultfu/7o,r^°°'^^ 
not  troubled.      But  Thorodd  t  ^u    .^'"  '^^  «^^^-"ts  were 
kitchen.     They  heard  t W  1.  1  u  ^''  "^*^"  °^eupied  the 
scaled  off  during  the  n  ^?ts     n     V"  '^'  ^^^  heap  were 

vants  of  the  house,  both  Ife  Ld  f '  '^'^''^'      ^"  the  Lr- 
but  :t  did  not  permit  itself  to  f.   T"'!'  '""  ^«  ^^^^  it  out 
When  they  used  their  utmost  ,.  f  ^  ^"^  ^^^'"ed  dead 

^hpped  from  their  hands  and  to  rthi'v'^?^^^' ''  -^'-Ty 
Thereafter  no  trace  of  it  ,7  ^^  ^^'^  ^^m  their  oain.1 

;>- heap  of  «,,,  .?erfr„mh"'  ^f  ""^^  ^-ro^ed 
"^s  done,  Thorgiina  Galdrakinn  f  "*■    ^^^n  this 

-eVrh-L:h::s^t ?■ -°^^^^^^^^^^ 

by  the  disease  and  the  rtSts  of  T  T"  '=''"■''<'  »»  «  once 

"-ay  from  the  house.    Of  ,h  1  , '      '^'"'^  '^'°'"'  *«  others 

he  preceding  ,„tun,n,  Jv^ZtiZ'T,:'"'  ^"'  »"'=^" 

Mar'ch     ''\:'tlf  —ponds  wTh' PebrX"™'"  °'  ''^^^ 

•''      ^^  this   cond  tion   ,,f  ^4x  ■       "^"^^7.  a  part  ^vith 

«aternal  n„c,e  Snorre  fte  priesf""'/^''"'"'  "'''"-^iCs 

He  deputed  a  priest  sent  VohtabUi      ''*.^''   "'^  ^"^^ 
With  his  son  Thorrl  v^,  ^  Gissur  the  Wh,>«  oi 

With  Kjartan  a^d^v^S^T Th '''  "^  ^  « ^^     ^o 
the  bed^,„ttes  of  Thorg„„„a  Jd  ,  ""'  "^  ^''^les  and  fn 
all  the  dead  that  were  Ee  to  ,1,     r  ■"°'°"  '°  J-dgmen 
he  pnest  to  perform  his  s^ted  offic    ""^'  ""  «1"«.ed 
to  absolve  the  servants  from  Ih  '^'  '"  ^less  water  and 

feast  of  the  Purification  TtheBLrH,.""  *»  "=  of  "f 
-  --da,  and  'he  neighbors  tf~dt'tf---: 


in  another  house, 
come  there;  but 
;hird  evening,  at 
^as  built  in  the 
J^ed  in  the  small 
le  servants  were 
sn  occupied  the 
fish  heap  were 
up  the  fish  heap 
tail,  like  a  calf's 
-d  to  draw  it  to 
'•     All  the  ser- 
»  to  draw  it  out, 
i  seemed  dead.' 
''er,  it  suddenly 
•"1  their  palms, 
they  destroyed 
ff-    When  this 
s  magic  chin, 
she  was  seen 
^  the  disease 
ired  and  more 
ed  off  at  once 
^^  the  others 
were  alive  in 
onth  of  Goa, 
a  part   with 
'  visited  his 
his  advice. 
W^hite  along 
others  to  go 
dies  and  all 
0  judgment 
J  requested 
water,  and 
eve  of  the 
^ey  arrived 
3  road  and 


VINLAND. 


73 


feummoned  to  accompany  them;  on  their  arrival  a  fire  was 
ht  on  the  hearth  to  cook  food.    Thurid,  the  mistress  of  the 

T^^^'i,  ?  ^^  '^^  ^'""^  ^^^"^  ^"^'^^^d  by  the  same  disease 
of  which  the  rest  had  perished.     Kjartan  having  entered  the 

f  ^  "^1°  A '  '°^^  ^'""^  ^^^  ^^^^th :  there  he  saw  his 
father  Thorodd  sitting  as  usual  with  his  companions  near 
the  hearth;  going  out  Kjartan  destroyed  Thorgunna's  bed 
and  all  her  furniture,  and  burned  all  her  clothes  and  adom- 

ThnrH'  T""  'TTlf  '^^°'"'  ^'^^^^-  *°  judgment,while 
Thord  Kause  called  Thorodd,  because  they  had  invaded 
another  s  house  without  permission,  and  deprived  the  in- 
habitants of  life  and  strength.  Thereupon  all  that  sat  at 
the  hearth  side  were  summoned;  then  judges  were  appointed 
at  the  door  and  a  law-suit  instituted  as  in  a  law-court  wit- 
nesses and  proofs  were  brought  forward  and  repeated  at 
the  tnal  and  a  final  decision  given.  This  having  been  done 
Thorer  Vidlegg  rising  said:  "I  remained  here  as  long  as  i 

trial  had  not  been  held.  Then  judgment  was  pronounced  in 
the  shepherds  case,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  heard  it,  he  rose 
and  said:  "I  shall  depart  now,  and  T  think  I  should  have 
done  so  before."  And  Thorgrima  Galdrakinn  having  heard 
her  sentence  answered:  "We  sat  as  long  as  we  coufd,"  and 
having  said  his  she  left.  One  by  one  they  were  expelied  in 
this  way;  after  saymg  something,  they  went  forth,  unwil- 
lingly however,  as  their  words  showed.  Thorodd,  the  lord 
of  the  manor  was  condemned  last,  and  hearing  the  decision 
rose  and  said:  "Few  of  us  are  left,  let  us  all  fee."  And  so 
he  was  the  last  to  leave  the  house. 

Then  Kjartan  with  the  rest  entered  the  house;  but  the 
pnest  sprinkled   the  several  parts  of  the  house  with  holv 
water   and  on  the  following  day  celebrated  mass  and  the 
sacred  ntes,  and  thereafter  the  dead   no  longer  infested  it 
and  Tnund,  the  mistress  of  the  house,  recovered. 

Here  we  may  remark  the  devil's  cunuing  and  his 
p,wer  over  those,  who  cither  do  not  know  the  true  religion 
or  are  less  instructed  in  the  articles  of  faith;  foi  nowhere 


74 


HISTORY  OF 


i!»i-'i 


do  we  read  that  anything  similar  happened  on  that 
island,  after  the  true  light  of  the  Gospel  rose  and  en- 
lightened its  inhabitants. 


II 
1  I 


VINLAND. 


75 


ADDENDA. 


I  translated  that  the  sun  at  the  time  of  the  solstice,  rose 
in  Vinland  about  nine  o'clock  and  set  at  three;  I  shall  give 
my  reasons  for  doing  so.     Bu.  as  other  reasons  occurred  to 
me  afterwards,  that  stirred  up  doubt  on  this  question,  I  shall 
leave  both  to  be  weighed  by  the  unprejudiced  reader     For 
after  this  History  of  Vinland  was  returned  to  me  in  print  I 
began  to  examine  these  points  again  and  again,  because  the 
position  of  the  land  seemed  to  be  nowise  compatible  with  the 
fertility  there   described,  and   this  was   especially  the  case 
after  the  Swedish  translation  of  the  History  of  the  Norse 
Kings  called  Heims  Kringla,  published  by  the  distinguished 
John  Peringskiold  came  into  my  hands.     For  following  the 
interpretation  of  the  learned   Gudmund   Olafson,  he   trans- 
lated this  passage  differently;  for  both,  adhering  strictly  to 
the  rules  of  the  grammarinns  and  translating  word  for  word 
understood  it  otherwise  than  I  did,  and  yet  did  not  catch  the 
author's  meaning  any  better.      For  the  author,  though  he 
does  not  refer  the  latitude  of  the  land  to  any  precise  degree 
of  the  equinoctial  line,  nevertheless  left  this  to  be  clearly 
inferred  from  the  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun  in  winter  and 
would  have  left  it  more  clearly  stated,  if  he  had  found  it 
more  carefully  described.     He  certainly  used  clear  langua^re 
as  It  appeared  to  me.     The  passage  reads  as  follows  in  the 
105th  chapter  of  the  Swedish  edition,  page  33^  -.  Melra  var 
par  jafmlaeffH  enn  a   Graenlandi  ei^a  Islandi,  sol  hafcli  par 
et/ktarstad,  oy  damalastad  urn  Skartrtuirt^,,  "    The  meaning  of 
these  words  the  distinguished  A.  ngrim  Jonas,  in  the  ninth 
chapter  of  his  Greenland  expound,  -.s  follows:  In  that  place 
there  is  no  such  winter,  or  cold,  nor  is  the  winter  solstice 
the  same  as  in  Iceland   or  C-reenland.  the  sun  remaining 
above  the  horizon  about  six  hours  (for  they  had  no  sun-dials  ) 
This  meaning  I  fonnd  myself  long  before  seeing  the  work 
of  Arngrim  Jonas,  firstly  from  the  information  of  Brynjolf 


-JO 


HISTORY  OF 


,t" *  ■■a" . 

iv- 


1 

I 


:i( 


Svenonson  (if  1  understood  him  correctly),  the  most  learned 
of  the  bishops  of  Skalholt  up  to  his  own  time,  a  man  without 
peer,  to  whom  as  a  youth  I  was  sent  in  the  year  1662  with 
royal  letters  by  my  most  clement  Lord,  the  best  of  Kings, 
Frederick   III,  to  learn  the   true  signification  of  the  most 
difficult  ancient  words  and  phrases,  and  secondly  from  the 
relation  of  sunrise   to  sunset   as  will   be  shown  presently. 
Now  I  shall  examine  Peringskjold's  interpretation.     "The 
day  too,"  says  he  "is  longer  than  in  Greenland  and  in  Iceland 
for  the  sun  there  had  periods  of  increase,  and  day-light  ap- 
peared about  breakfast  time  (six  or  seven  o'clock)  when  the 
day  was  shortest."     From  this  explanation  we  learn  nothing- 
certain  of  the  position  of  the  country.     Peringskjold  was  led 
astray  by  the  word  eykt,  which  usually  means  a  space  of 
three  hours,  but  in  another  sense  expresses  the  third  hour 
after  noon,  which  is  also  called  non.     Explaining  the  author 
in  the  first  sense,  he  showed  nothing  peculiar:  for  no  longer 
periods  of  increase  belong  to  the  sun  there  than  elsewhere. 
Nor  have  we  here  a  single  word  about  day-light,  that  is  to 
say,  dawn,  but  there  is  question  of  sunrise  and  sunset ;  nor, 
in  my  opinion,  did  the  Icelanders  breakfast  at  six  or  seven 
o'clock,  but   at  nine   o'clock,  which  they  call   Dagmal.      I 
should  translate  the  author's  words  as  follows:  "There  (in 
Vinland)  the  winter  days  are  always  longer  than  in  Greenland 
or  Iceland,  the  sun  there  touched  the  third  hour  afternoon 
and  the  ninth  before  noon."    Here  the  words  sunset  and  sun- 
rise  are  so   explained,  that   even   if  the   word   eykt   were 
unknown  in  the  latter  sense,  yet  its  meaning   could  easily 
be  deduced  from  its  connection  with  the  ninth  hour  before 
noon  and  the  meaning  of  the  word  Dagmal,  which  always 
denotes  that  hour,  as  well  as  from  the  relation  of  sunrise  to 
sunset  and  its  connection  with  the  third  hour. 

This  view  is  confirmed  from  the  ancient  division  of  the 
natural  day  customary  among  the  Icelanders:  for  the  day  is 
divided  into  eight  parts  according  to  the  time  the  sun  passes 
in  each.  For  they  call  Nattmal  the  part  of  the  day  while 
the  sun  is  in  the  northwest,  Lagnaette,  while  it  is  in  the 
north,  Otta  or  Rismal,  i.  e.,  dawn  or  rising   time,  whilst  it 


VINLAND. 


77 


t  learned 
n  without 
[662  with 
af  Kings, 
the  most 
from  the 
aresently. 
1.  "The 
n  Iceland 
light  ap- 
when  the 
1  nothing 
i  was  led 
space  of 
lird  hour 
le  author 
10  longer 
Isewhere. 
hat  is  to 
set ;  nor, 
or  seven 

3MAL.       I 

^here  (in 
reenland 
fternoon 
and  sun- 
KT  were 
Id  easily 
ir  before 
ti  always 
inrise  to 

n  of  the 
le  day  is 
m  passes 
ay  while 
is  in  the 
whilst  it 


IS  in  the  northeast,  Midur  morgun,  while  it  is  in  the  east 
DAgMAL,  while  it  is  in  the  southeast,  Hadeigi,  while  it  is  in 
the  south,  NoN,  while  it  is  in  the  southwest,  Miduraftan. 
while  It  is  in  the  west. 

Convinced  by  these  arguments,  I  placed  Vinland  in  Es- 
totiland;    but  when  I  judged  again    and  again    that    the 
products  of  the  country  (Vinland)  did  not  suit  the  climate  of 
Estotiland  I  began  to  examine  the  Swedish  version  more 
carefully,  and  especially  to  enquire  more  diligently  into  the 
meanmg  of  the  word  Evkt,  suspecting  that  this  word  led 
astray  the  Swedish  translator.    Finding  it  in  no  dictionaries 
except  that  of  Gudmund  Andreson,  and  there  set  down  only 
with  the  former  meaning,  I  began  to  study  the  most  ancient 
Canon  Law  of  the   Icelanders.      From  its  ninth  chapter  I 
copy  the  following  words:   -Ver  sknlum  hallda  Lauqardaq 
enn  siounda  hmrn  nonhelgan,  m  er  naest  Drottinsdeigi  firir 
paskal  ei  vinua  npp  fra  eykt,  nema  pat  er  nu  man  ec  'telia 
pat  a  at,  vmna  allt  er  drottimdag  a  at  vinna.     Pa  er  eykt  er 
ut  mdrs  aept  er  deilld  i  pridiunga,  og  hefir  Solinn  geingna  tvo 
luti,  enn  einn  ogeingin."    These  words  we  translate  as  follows- 
"We  shall  hold  sacred  every  seventh  day,  that  is  to  say  the 
Sabbath,   (Saturday)   up   to  the   Nona.      This   immediately 
precedes  Sunday.      Then  from  the  eykt  hour  it  is  not  al- 
lowed to  work,  except  for  those  things  which  I  shall  now 
mention:  then  all  those  things  must  be  prepared  which  are 
necessary  for  Sunday.      By  Eykt  is  meant  the  time  when 
the  heavens  between  south  and  west  are  divided  into  three 
parts  p.nd  the  sun  has  completed  two  parts,  whilst  the  third 
remains."    I  had  written  that  the  description  of  Vinland  had 
explained  this  in  clear  words,  but  now  I  find  that  it  has 
entangled  that  narrative,  which  the   present   passage  made 
even  more  diificult.     For  the  word  non  denoted  three  o'clock 
after  noon  both  in  Iceland  and  formeriy  among  the  Anglo- 
Saxons;  and  from  the  establishment  of  the  Christian  religion 
or  from  the  passage  of  this  very  law  every  generation  in 
Norway  so  understood  this  word,  and  to-day  in  accordance 
with  this  rule  the  Norse  rest  on  SaturUavs.     The  present 
passage  likewise  illustrates  it,  inasmuch  as  it  bids  the  sane 


78 


HISTORY  OF 


tification  to  begin  from  Non  and  work  to  cease  at  Eykt  ; 
thence  some  may  wish  to  infer  that  Non  and  Eykt  are  syno- 
nyms and  that  they  designate  the  hour  so  often  mentioned. 
But  how  far  the  very  description  of  the  same  differs  from 
this  opinion,  everybody  sees.     For  the  space  through  which 
the  sun  passes  from  midday  to  sundown,  requires  six  hours, 
a  third  of  which  makes  two  hours.     Two-thirds  end  at  four 
o'clock  after  noon.     If  Eykt  and  N<jn  are  to  be  understood 
to  mean  this  hour,  in  the  first  place  the  most  ancient  and 
most  generally  accepted  division  of  hours  falls  to  the  ground, 
each  of  which,  like  the  canonical  hours,  includes  three  com- 
mon hours.      The  connection  with  the  hour,  Dagmal,  also 
disappears,    for    this   designates    nine   o'clock  before    noon. 
Now  it  is  not  possible  that  on  the  day  of  the  winter-solstice 
the  sun  should  set  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  rise 
at  nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  ;  for  it  really  rises  at  eight 
o'clock,  and  the  day  from  sunrise  to  sundown  is  lengthened 
to  eight  hours.     If  then  the  words  Eykt  and  Non  mean  the 
same  thing,  and  signify  the  fourth  hour,  Dagmal  is  not  nine 
O'clock,  but  must  be  advanced  to  eight  o'clock,  and  conse- 
quently Vinland  lies  under  the  forty-ninth  degree,  and   its 
shortest  day  measures  eight  hours;  and  this  position  certainly 
fits  its  products  better  than  the  position  of  Estotiland.     We 
read  that  among  the  Romans  Nona  had  not  always  the  same 
meaning;  for,  as  appears  from  the  ancient  manuscript  of  the 
Manerii,  it  sometimes  meant  midday.     But  the  Nona  of  the 
clocks  in  most  ancient  times  meant  the  last  hour,  when  the 
sun  was  already  setting  (see  Hofm.  lex.  at  the  word  Nona); 
in  like  manner  it  might  mean  among  us  also,  hours  different 
from  three  o'clock  after  noon.     As  to  the  word  Dagmal,  Gud- 
mund  Andreson  in  his  lexicon    supports  our  present  view  ; 
for  by  Dagmal  he  understands,  not  nine  o'clock  before  noon 
according  to  the  received  use  of  the  word,  but  eight  o'clock, 
which  corresponds  precisely  with  the  sun's  setting  at  four 
o'clock  after  noon;  aud  I  doubt  not  that  he  wrote  this  sup- 
ported by  some  authority;  but  whence  he  got,  it  I  am  not  yet 
clear.     However  that  may  be,  the  explanation  of  our  manu- 
script  which  translates    the   word   Eykt    by    four   o'clock, 


VINLAND.  7j, 

claims  for  itself  undoubted  authority,  whether  Evkt  means 
he  same  thmg  as  Now  or  not.  As  I  said  before,  I  leave 
IntrlZf''  '''^/r^^'T^  by  the  judgment  of  th;  intelli- 
^-ent  reader,  and  first  of  all  he  must  decide,  whether  public 
prayers  were  said  from  three  o'clock,  that  i;  to  say,  Non  to 
four  o  clock,  and  then,  whether  the  holiday  began  at  fc'n  r 

nan'e  T.  T^'"'''  "^  '^'  '""'^'  ^^^'^  '^'^^y  ""^er  the 
TnZ  M  """  "'  '''''''  ^^^^  ^"  '^^  adjacent  con- 
tinent on  the  coast  of  Canada  has  been  reduced  under 
the  power  o  the  French,  the  ancient  Vinland.  B^U  "f  he 
position  of  the  places  which  is  here  set  forth,  be  compared 
more  carefully  with  the  character  of  those  coumries,  TdoTbt 
not  but  that  everything  will  be  more  clearly  under  tood  by 
those  who  either  inhabit  them  or  visit  them  purposely 


On  page  6i,  after  line  23,  insert:  After  writing  the  fore- 
gomg       received   Heimskringla,   or   History   of  the   Norse 

feTZllTf  '^  1°'-  P--^«kJ-^d'  P-t/d  at  Stockholm 
1697,  and  find  from  chapter  103  to  chapter  ,15  matter  which 
IS  found  in  neither  of  the  authentic  copies  of  'the  Chur!-h  of 
he  Most  Holy  Trinity,  the  Krinola  or  the  ]oXTZ\Ll 
1  hey  are  taken  either  from  copies  of  the  History  of  Olaf 
Triggeson  or  from  some  other  source. 


INDEX 


Adam  of  Bremen  qq 

Albania,  or  Great  Ireland..?,  14,  «1 

Alftafjord    4f) 

Ananias,  J.  L i.lg 

Andefort 13 

Are  Marson Qi 

Atnestap 44 

Arnora  !!...! '43 

Astrutharson,  Sven     00 

Audr,  Queen  43 

Aurlig "'ea 

Avalldainna 5g 

Barthol,  Thomas 45 

Berius,  Ivar ...17 

fjarne 2o,'26V53 

Bjarne.  Bishop 40 

Bjarn  of  Breidavik .15,  64 

Bjarne,  the  Icelander 9^  25 

Bjarne  Grimolfson 49 

Bjarney  Islands 51 

Bjorn  of  Skardsa  . .  .7.  9,  10,  34,  87 

Djorn  Buna gg 

Bleyker ! !.  !l2 

Bondendon  J3 

Borgarf jord .'.'."!  .63 

Boterus,  John .'i,<} 

Brand,  Bishop 40 

Brattahlide 29,47,50 

Breidafjord 49 

Bremen,  Adam  of !.  14 

Buno 10,  ll,"l3 

Cabaru 13 

Campo |i3 

Canada ..'i.'lO 

Cape  Hull !!!!80 

Cartier,  Jacques ." ."  .13 

Cluverius,  Philip 10,  16 

Codex  Flateyensis..?,  9,  10,29,31, 
^  .      ,  32,  40, 47,  49,  59 

Columbus,  Christopher 15, 16 

Crodme 13 

Dagmal 76,79 

Davis'  Straits 4 

Dithmar,  Bishop  of  Merseburg. .  .64 


Doffiiis 

Droj(io 

^"1*''  "."■.'. V 6a, (i4 

'niinie ^g 

Einar  of  Langabrekka 43 

Enior «« 

Eric  II ....;:!'.:'.::i6 

Eric,  first  Bishop  of  Greenland. 15  63 
Eric  the  Red. .  .9,  25,  30,  32,  41   42 

43,47,49,50.61,05 

£.ric  and  Sven 30   05 

Eriksfjord. .  .  .29,  83,  34,  39,  43,  47. 

Eriend  the  Strong '59 

fspishoi ;;;;;59 

Estland 14 

Estotiland io,"  ii*  77,78 

^y'V' a 76,77,78 

Eyrbyggva  Saga 41 

F'ose 59 

Frederick  III jo  7« 

Frederick  IV '    3 

li'^f'dis- JO,  37,  38,  51,  53 

.^f'sand 11,  13  13 

^"■"da 41,6.5,69,72 

rurdustrand 53 

Gamlason,  Thorhall 49 

Gardar  37 

Gissur  the  White  ^73 

Glaumba [!y) 

Gnup !.'...'!.' .'92 

Greenland. ,  .4,  17,  25,  26,  39,  41,  48, 
44,  46.  49,  50,  51,  65 

Gnmhilde 33,  47 

Grimkel '.63 

Grimolfson,  Bjarne 49,  58 

Grisland 14 

Grund '59 

Gudleif  Gunnlaugson 63,64 

Gudleif 65 

Gudmund  Olafson .75 

Gudmund  Andreson 78 

Gudrid 29,  32,  .33,  34,  43.  46,  47, 

48,  49,  60,  65 
Gudrun,  wife  of  Jorund 69 


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0 


N'i  INDEX 


Guiinlaug TiO 

Gunnlaugson,  Guclleif (J3,  ((4 


Hacon,  Eric 20 

Hake .V> 

Hekja 52 

Hako fi 

Ilakon,  Earl    05 

Halla     5)1 

Kallhera 59 

Halldise 4-1 

Hallfrid 40 

Hellveiga  4:i 

Harold  the  Bold,  or  Haughty.. ..  10, 

40.  00 

Hauk         7.  40.41.59 

Heiinskringla 75,  79 

Hebrides 05 

Helluland 27,  51 

Henry  VH 16 

Herjulf 25 

Herjulfsnes 25,  20,44,  47 

Hjorleif 62 

Hondius 13 

Hrafn 01 

Hrap 02 

Hudson  Bay 11 

Hvitra  Manna  Land 14,58 

Ibini   13 

Icaria  14 

Iceland  39,44.05 

llofo 13 

Ingibjorg 59 

Ingveld 40 

Ireland 53.  .58,  05 

edeve 13 

'  onas,  Arngrim 13.  40.  75 

onas,  the  Breton 13 

ones.Jonas  or  John  an  Irish  Bishop 

14 

Jones  or  Johannes,  Bishop 02 

Jorund 62 

Karlsefne 10,  35,  36,  37,  39,  50, 

51,  .53,  54,  57,  .59 

Kelldum 59 

Ketill 59 

Ketil,  Flatnesi 02 

Kios 62 

Kipping,  Henry 11,  18 

Kjalarnes .30,  52,  .53,  64,  02 

Kjartan 00,  '11,  72,  73 

Kornhjalm  af  tre. . .  30 

Kringla  or  Jofraskinna 7,79 


Krossanes ;t2 

Lagnaette   70 

Landnania  Book 02 

Leif 9,30.32,37,41.42,51 

Leif  of  Briiiiahlide.    .  .   20,  27.  29,  34 

Lcry.  Baron  de 15 

Limerick 61 

Lisufjord 47 

Lysufjord  32 

Madoc 0 

Magin,  John  A 13 

Mar   02 

Markland 27,51.  'tl 

Marson.  Are 14,01 

Martinerius 12 

Mausur 29 

M  creator 13 

Mikiunes .54 

Miritius,  John 13 

Monaco 13 

Nattm.il .70 

Ne.s 08 

Nordra 08 

Norumbega 15 

Ocibar 13 

Olafson.  Gudmund . .  .75 

Olaf  Triggvin,'!  rygveson  7, 42. 52, 53 

Orm 44 

Ortelius   13 

Oita  or  Rismal   76 

Palnatoke 04 

Peringskjold,  John 7,  70.  79 

Porlanda 13 

Ranc... 13 

Reid, Whale 34 

Reikyancs 14,  01 

Reinarnes 59 

Reinenes  Monastery 59 

Reykjadal .02 

Rolf ...10 

Rome 33,40 

Rovea 13 

Rudbecke,  Olaf S,  12,  OO 

Runoff 40 

Samoyeds 17 

Sanestol.   13 

Sanson  d' Abbeville 11,15 

Schalholt 14 

Siginund 43 


INDEX. 


.  83 


:12 

70 

T.  41,42,  .')! 
(I,  37,  20,  :U 

15 

01 

47 

33 

ft 

ia 

02 

..37.51.  .'»7 
.    ..   14,01 

12 

29 

13 

.54 

13 

13 

.70 

08 

08 

1.". 

13 

75 

7, 42. 52,  fi3 

44 

13 

70 

...  04 
...7,70.79 
13 

13 

84 

....14.  01 

.59 

.59 

.02 

10 

33,  40 

13 

. .  S,  12,  00 
40 

17 

13 

11,  15 

14 

43 


!!«"'*,••••, 47,48 

Sigurd  Earl 35 

^k''«K-'fjo'-d !.;:;;;4o 

akalliolt (U) 

SkialtfUlf .■.'.■ .'..;";.  14 

Skojjastrand 49 

Skratlinns 10,  11.  17,  31,  M," 36 

^  53,  54.  57 

S"""'-' 40,  51,  53,  57,  .59 

Snorre,  priest  of  HelKafell. .  .03,  04. 

05  72 

Snorre  Thorbrandsoii .49 

Sorand .....13 

Spakonfellzhofde I34 

Spirigf 13 

Stafhoiztung gy 

Steiiivor '  [ .  '50 

Stjrbjorn   '«i 

St  oiaf ;..;f,;; 

Straunisfjord .!.....!  54 

Straumsey ' '  "54 

Streme lo 

(,       ,  10 

wturleson,  Snorro 7 

Sven  Astritharson '. '.  .60 

Svenonson,  Brynjoif ! . . ! !  [75 

Torre  Neuve 70 

Inistel A.t 

inistilsfjord  43 

;i|j°f*''''    V  •  • 29,  32.  47,  59 

ihortr  of  Steige 4(j 

Thorer  Vidlegg  66,  7oV71,"73 

I  norana.    ^q 

Thorbjorg ..  44 

Thorbjorg  Knarrabringa.  .*.'..*!.'!! 02  . 

Thorbjorn 39,43,47 

Thorbjorn  of  Siockanes '  49'  65 

Thorbjorn  Vifillson 43,  47 

Thorbrandson,  Snorre '  49 

Thord  of  Hesthofde ! ! .  34 

Thord  Kause .!.73 

Thordis '.'.]..'.'  .59 

Thorfinn,  Earl  of  the  Orkneys. '. '.  .14 

rpu     -=         .,  ^6,01   i 

rhorfinn,  Kirlsefne.  ...34.  49,  .59.  65 

Ihorgeir 40,43  < 

Thorgerde ',35 


Thorgils  ^j 

Thorgaiina  Gaidradinn . .. ." .'  "H  Td 

rhorgunna.         .00,  07.  09,  70, '72,' 73 

..'"'^'      •••  , 51,  53,  .54 

horhall  (Jamlason 49 

Thorhild  or  Thiodhild   ..    "    'fli"62 

I''°^j'll'j« 41."42,'43 

I  horhilde  Riupa  34 

riiorkel 44 

Thorkeil  Geiterson  '  61 

Uioriak,  Bishop "'4() 

Ihoriake,  Theodore  "  ys 

',j;o''odd «5,  07.  08.  70,  71.  73 

inorstein  Ericson.   ...10,32  33  41 
.,.,       .  .      ,     „,       '*2.  47.  48.  0.5.  69 

Ihorstein  the  Black 33 

Thorstein  the  Red ......'.  .43 

Thorstein  Ranglat ...!!.  .59 

Thorstein,  Surt ..  S^ 

Thorvald  Krok ,59 

.'•'•'o^^al'l- • 0.  to,  29;  30,"3i,'32 

I  horvald  Ericson <57 

Ihorvard (jj 

,'J!''""'^ 03.6V,(J5,66,'73 

^y^^' 27,  28 

UlfSkialg «2 

Vabjarnavall gy 

Vacge ..".'."."!!  .',58 

Valgerdis 59 

Valldidida .58 

Valthiof Q2 

Venai !!.!....,.   13 

Vesputius,  Americus .....         fl 

Vestri,  Bygd 17 

Vetthilde .rq 

vifiii ■.■.::;;;;;:43 

Vifillson,  Thorbjorn 43  47 

Vifilsdal  ■     '43 

Finland 4,  7,  14,  reV25,'29,"  30, 

34,  37,  39,  51.  61.  08,  77 

White  Man's  Land .57  61 

Winland , '  qq 

Zcni.  «he     e.  11 

iCichinnus jg 


